Satya Nadella on India's AI opportunity, lauds human capital ingenuity

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella lauded India's human capital at a tech forum in Seattle, reiterating his company's commitment to the country's AI future. He noted that India is poised to have the world's largest developer community by 2030.

Microsoft Chairman and CEO Satya Nadella on Thursday reiterated Microsoft's commitment to strengthening India's AI opportunity, highlighting the “ingenuity of the human capital in India” and saying the country was poised to have the world's largest developer community by 2030.

Nadella made the remarks as he addressed “IDEAS4INDIA: Indian American Tech CEOs Forum | Unlocking the Tech Dividend”, hosted by the Consulate General of India in Seattle. Nadella, who was the Guest of Honour, reiterated Microsoft's commitment to strengthen India's AI opportunity by building the infrastructure, skills and sovereign capabilities needed for India's AI-first future. He appreciated the “ingenuity of the human capital in India” and said India was poised to have the world's largest developer community by 2030.

Top Tech Leaders Convene

The forum was organised as a follow-up to the India AI Impact Summit 2026, with the aim of drawing on the expertise of the Indian-American technology community based in Greater Seattle. The event brought together leading Indian-origin technology CEOs, several of whom have spent more than three decades at the forefront of cutting-edge technologies, including artificial intelligence, quantum computing, semiconductors, cloud infrastructure, aerospace and enterprise software. More than 40 Indian-origin CEOs and CTOs participated in the forum, including representatives from Microsoft, Amazon, Boeing, OpenAI, Anthropic, Intel, Veeam Software, Helion, Rhythms AI, Zenoti, Anicca Data, SeekOut, Stanley, Viome Life Sciences, Edifecs, Gates Foundation, Orange Theory, Stanley 1913, Blink Health, CoralBricks AI, Qubra.ai, Cantina Labs and Waymakers, among other leading technology companies in the Pacific Northwest.

Strengthening India-US Tech Partnership

The forum featured an interactive session where participating CEOs shared their ideas and suggestions for strengthening the India-US technology partnership. Discussions covered AI infrastructure, data centres, semiconductor design and manufacturing, quantum research collaboration, talent and skilling, aerospace and advanced manufacturing. Ambassador of India to the United States Vinay Kwatra, addressing the participants, welcomed their “strong desire to further deepen India USA Tech partnership” and reaffirmed the Government of India's commitment to working with relevant stakeholders to ensure that India's AI Mission remains firmly anchored on the principles of “inclusivity, openness, sovereignty, democratized access, safety and trust.”

Tribute to Tech Stalwarts

The Indian-American Tech CEOs Forum began with a minute's silence to honour the memory of two Indian-origin technology stalwarts from Seattle who had recently passed away -- Samir Bodas, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Icertis, and S. Somasegar, Managing Director of Madrona Venture Group and formerly Corporate Vice President at Microsoft. Their contributions to scaling up Seattle's technology ecosystem and supporting Indian-origin startups were recalled and appreciated by participants. Padma Shri Ajay Bhatt, inventor of the USB-C drive and formerly with Intel, also participated in the deliberations.

Major Investments to Boost India's Tech Future

The gathering reflected the two-way character of the India-US technology partnership, with several companies represented at the forum maintaining substantial engineering, research and business operations in India. Microsoft has announced an investment of USD 17.5 billion in India over four years from 2026 to 2029, its largest-ever investment in Asia, to advance cloud and AI infrastructure, skilling and operations. Amazon has announced a total investment of USD 48 billion between 2026 and 2030, including expansion of AWS data centre capacity at Mumbai and Hyderabad, while Costco is establishing its first Global Capability Centre at Hyderabad.

Future of India-US Tech Collaboration

The forum was the first such gathering of Indian-American technology leaders convened in Seattle and is expected to continue serving as an important platform for strengthening the India-US technology partnership, including under the India-US TRUST Initiative, or “Transforming the Relationship Utilizing Strategic Technology”. Under the initiative, India and the US are working to connect their respective innovation ecosystems and advance collaboration, including “co-development and co-production”, in artificial intelligence, quantum, semiconductors, space, telecom and biotechnology. (ANI)

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