Sundar Pichai announces America-India Connect Initiative, DeepMind collaboration to expand India’s AI capacity
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Sundar Pichai, CEO of Google and Alphabet Inc., on Wednesday announced the India-America Connect Initiative, aimed at strengthening artificial intelligence connectivity between the two countries through new undersea cable routes and digital infrastructure investments.
Speaking at a Google event in New Delhi, Pichai said the initiative will establish new subsea cable connections linking India, the United States and locations across the southern hemisphere. The move is intended to support rising demand for AI infrastructure, faster data flows and more reliable global connectivity.
He described the current period as a “transformational moment” for technology, calling AI the biggest platform shift of this generation and a powerful tool for solving real-world problems ranging from healthcare and climate resilience to accessibility.
DeepMind–India partnership on frontier AI
Pichai, in another major announcement, said the Indian government will partner with Google DeepMind on frontier artificial intelligence development under its global national partnerships programme.
The collaboration aims to expand access to advanced AI capabilities for national priorities and strengthen research, innovation and deployment across sectors. Pichai noted that working with governments, research institutions and universities will be crucial to ensuring AI benefits communities at scale.
He pointed to Google’s existing collaborations with Indian institutions such as IIT Madras, and also highlighted healthcare partnerships, including work with All India Institute of Medical Sciences, where AI tools are being explored for medical research, diagnostics and improving healthcare delivery at scale.
Skilling initiatives and AI adoption
Alongside infrastructure and research announcements, Google also unveiled its most ambitious skilling push in India to date, including a new AI Professional Certificate programme designed to help students and working professionals build practical AI skills for everyday applications.
Pichai stressed that investments in connectivity and research must be matched with investments in people, saying widespread skilling will be essential to ensure the benefits of AI reach across sectors and regions.
India, he said, is uniquely positioned to benefit from artificial intelligence due to its scale, talent pool and rapid technology adoption. Indian users already rank among the highest globally in adopting voice and visual search, while Google’s Gemini AI platform is seeing strong growth in the country.
India central to Google’s long-term AI strategy
Pichai also pointed to Google’s broader investments in India, including plans for an AI hub in Visakhapatnam and ongoing efforts to deploy AI solutions in healthcare, agriculture, startups and public services.
Earlier in the day, he met Narendra Modi to discuss India’s AI ambitions and potential collaboration with Google to support students, professionals and national digital priorities.
Pichai said the country is on an “extraordinary” path in artificial intelligence and that Google intends to remain a long-term partner as AI adoption accelerates globally.