India’s tech capital Bengaluru has ranked a distant 26th in the newly released 2025 Global AI Cities Index by Counterpoint Research. The study that evaluates the top 100 global metropolitan areas on their adoption and deployment of artificial intelligence has not had a single Indian city as part of its top 20.

Singapore leads the global list, followed by Seoul, Beijing, Dubai, and San Francisco in the top five. The rankings are based on over 5,000 AI-related initiatives across public and private sectors, strength of communication infrastructure, university research output, and the maturity of the startup ecosystem, among other indicators.

The rankings signal a strong need for India to accelerate its AI investments and infrastructure development to stay competitive in the global AI landscape.

The report highlights the critical role of telecom infrastructure, both fixed and wireless, in the rise of AI-first cities, and the role is AI playing in network operations. Airtel, for instance, has been blocking one million spammers daily in Delhi.

Among Indian cities, Bengaluru came first on the list, ranking 26th globally, followed by Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai and Kolkata in that order.

“Although no Indian cities have breached the top 15 rankings there are several cities that are rising in the rankings. Bengaluru for example has established itself as a global AI R&D and datacentre hub which is certainly a city to watch. More investment in physical infrastructure is needed across the country,” Tarun Pathak, research director, Counterpoint Research, told Fortune India.

Pathak says that Bengaluru is steadily emerging as a key hub for AI research, innovation, and startup activity, with several homegrown ventures drawing significant foreign investment.

Karnataka government has made significant efforts in integrating AI into areas like traffic control, public safety, and urban planning, he adds.

“Mumbai and Delhi are also using AI creatively in terms of traffic management and public security and should rise in the rankings,” Pathak added.

However, the overall pace of adoption remains uneven, and a more cohesive national strategy with clear regulations is still needed.

The market intelligence firm expects the country’s ‘Big Four’ including Bengaluru, Mumbai, Delhi and Chennai to only be able to rise in the global rankings once the physical infrastructure improves.