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India Joins U.S.-Led Pax Silica AI Coalition While Google Unveils $15 B Vizag Hub

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Pax Silica Declaration Signed at AI Impact Summit On 20 February 2026, India formally entered the U.S.-led Pax Silica coalition during the India AI Impact Summit, with U.S. Ambassador Ruth A. Kelley and Indian officials signing the declaration on the sidelines of the event [1]. The pact emphasizes AI‑driven supply‑chain security and frames the partnership as a “coalition of capabilities” aimed at strengthening global peace through technological strength [1]. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, alongside French President Emmanuel Macron and Brazil’s Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, will later deliver a joint AI‑governance statement, underscoring the diplomatic weight of the agreement [3].

Google Announces Full‑Stack AI Hub in Visakhapatnam Sundar Pichai revealed on 19 February 2026 that Google will build a full‑stack AI hub in Vizag, Andhra Pradesh, as part of a $15 billion India investment [2]. The facility will house gigawatt‑scale compute resources and serve as a gateway for four new U.S.–India subsea fibre‑optic cable systems, expanding international connectivity for AI workloads [2][3]. Google also pledged to construct subsea cables linking India to Singapore, South Africa and Australia, reinforcing the hub’s role as the company’s largest AI data‑centre outside the United States [3].

U.S. Tech Giants Commit Billions to Indian AI Infrastructure At the same summit, Nvidia partnered with three Indian cloud firms and L&T to create “India’s largest gigawatt‑scale AI factory,” while Yotta secured a $2 billion contract for 20,000 high‑end AI processors [3]. Microsoft announced a $50 billion decade‑long commitment to accelerate AI adoption in developing markets, and other leaders such as OpenAI’s Sam Altman and Meta AI’s Alexandr Wang attended, highlighting the scale of private‑sector investment [3]. Collectively, these deals complement India’s target of over $200 billion in AI‑related investments by 2028, of which roughly $90 billion has already been pledged [3].

Government Initiatives Align With Private Investment Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis launched an interoperable agriculture data exchange on 20 February 2026, using open standards to empower farmers and linking the platform to the broader India AI Mission and a World Bank partnership [1]. A Stanford‑based study placed India third globally in AI competitiveness, overtaking South Korea and Japan, though analysts note gaps remain behind the United States and China [3]. The AI Impact Summit’s expo was extended to 21 February 2026 to accommodate additional participants, reflecting the event’s growing importance for policy‑industry collaboration [1].

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Timeline

Dec 30, 2025 – The Principal Scientific Advisor’s white paper urges open access to foundational AI resources—compute, high‑quality datasets and tools—so that a broader set of actors can build, test and deploy AI responsibly; it calls for integrating India’s digital public infrastructure (Aadhaar, UPI) into AI systems, warns that scaling data centres could require 45–50 million sq ft of space and raise electricity use to nearly 3 % of national consumption by 2030, and ties the recommendations to the upcoming AI Impact Summit and a government‑provided GPU pool for researchers and startups[4].

Feb 19, 2026 – Google announces a full‑stack AI hub in Visakhapatnam, featuring gigawatt‑scale compute and an international subsea‑cable gateway, as part of its $15 billion India investment to broaden AI access and create jobs nationwide[2].

Feb 19, 2026 – Sundar Pichai warns that a digital‑AI divide threatens equitable growth, stressing that technology benefits must be universal and highlighting compute and connectivity investments in India, Thailand and Malaysia to close the gap[2].

Feb 19, 2026 – Pichai describes AI as “hyper progress” and cites DeepMind’s AlphaFold as a breakthrough that compressed decades of protein‑structure research into a publicly available database used by millions, illustrating AI’s transformative scientific impact[2].

Feb 19, 2026 – Google commits to four new U.S.–India subsea fibre systems under the America‑India Connect programme, linking the United States with India and underpinning the Vizag hub’s international gateway[2].

Feb 19, 2026 – Google unveils direct undersea cables from India to Singapore, South Africa and Australia, accelerating data flow for soaring AI demand and complementing its $15 billion investment announced in October[3].

Feb 19, 2026 – Nvidia partners with three Indian cloud providers and L&T to build “India’s largest gigawatt‑scale AI factory,” while Yotta secures a $2 billion contract for 20,000 top‑end AI processors, expanding domestic AI training and inference capacity[3].

Feb 19, 2026 – Indian IT minister Ashwini Vaishnaw targets over $200 billion in AI‑related investments through 2028, noting that roughly $90 billion has already been pledged by foreign and domestic firms[3].

Feb 19, 2026 – Microsoft pledges $50 billion this decade to accelerate AI adoption in developing markets, announced alongside OpenAI, Meta AI, and Bill Gates at the summit[3].

Feb 19, 2026 – Prime Minister Narendra Modi, French President Emmanuel Macron and Brazil’s Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva plan to issue a joint AI governance statement, though experts caution that non‑binding declarations may lack concrete guardrails[3].

Feb 19, 2026 – A Stanford‑based study ranks India third worldwide in AI competitiveness, overtaking South Korea and Japan, underscoring rapid progress despite still trailing the United States and China in infrastructure and innovation capacity[3].

Feb 20, 2026 – India signs the U.S.-led Pax Silica Declaration on AI and supply‑chain security at the India AI Impact Summit; the U.S. Ambassador calls the partnership a “coalition of capabilities” that strengthens peace through strength[1].

Feb 20, 2026 – Google CEO Sundar Pichai declares the U.S.–India alliance “vital to make AI benefits universal” and announces plans to boost connectivity to South Asia, reinforcing the summit’s universal‑benefit agenda[1].

Feb 20, 2026 – Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis unveils a statewide interoperable agriculture data exchange, emphasizing that “data empowers farmers, not exploits them,” and linking the platform to open‑standard AI use under the India AI Mission and a World Bank partnership[1].

Feb 20, 2026 – The AI Impact Summit extends its expo by one day to Feb 21, allowing students and professionals who missed weekday sessions to attend under more flexible security arrangements, as explained by IT Secretary S. Krishnan[1].

Feb 20, 2026 – Google reaffirms its pledge to build new subsea cables from India to improve regional connectivity, supporting the summit’s goal of enhanced digital links across South Asia[1].

Feb 20, 2026 – The fourth annual AI Impact Summit serves as a platform for AI governance discussions and showcases India’s sectoral rise in the global AI landscape[1].

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