New Delhi, Feb 18 Alphabet and Google CEO Sundar Pichai on Wednesday announced the India-America Connect Initiative, a major step aimed at strengthening artificial intelligence (AI) connectivity between the two nations through new sub-sea cable routes.
Speaking at an event here on the sidelines of the 'India AI Impact Summit 2026,' Pichai said the initiative will create new undersea cable connections to boost digital and AI connectivity, not only between India and the US but also across several locations in the southern hemisphere.
He described the move as important for supporting the growing demand for AI infrastructure and faster data flows.
Highlighting the opportunities this initiative will create, Pichai stressed the need to invest in skilling people to use AI effectively.
He announced Google’s most ambitious skilling push in India so far, including a new Google AI Professional Certificate programme.
The programme is designed to help students and professionals learn how to use AI tools in their everyday work and build future-ready skills.
In another key announcement, Pichai said the Central government and Google DeepMind will partner on frontier AI development, marking a significant collaboration between the government and one of the world’s leading AI research organisations.
Pichai described the current phase as a "transformational moment".
"It feels like the beginning of a decade-long change driven by technology, innovation and large-scale adoption of AI," he stated.
Pichai said India is uniquely positioned to benefit from artificial intelligence, but stressed that this opportunity comes with responsibility.
"The country must ensure strong investments go into AI research and into spreading the use of AI across all sectors," he noted.
Earlier on Wednesday, Pichai said Google is infusing AI at all levels in India to improve healthcare, support startups, agriculture and more.
He met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and discussed India’s growing work in AI and how Google can collaborate with the country’s talented students and professionals.
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