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Bill Gates withdrew from the India AI Impact Summit hours before his keynote, following Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang's earlier cancellation. The high-profile AI event in New Delhi, inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and attended by global tech leaders, aimed to position India as a key player in global AI governance. Despite the setbacks, major investment announcements were made, including large AI data centre commitments from Reliance, Adani, Microsoft and Yotta. However, the summit faced logistical challenges, exhibition closures and traffic disruptions. The developments have highlighted operational concerns even as India attracts significant artificial intelligence infrastructure investments.
Bill Gates withdrew from the India AI Impact Summit hours before his scheduled keynote address, adding to challenges faced by the high-profile event in New Delhi. Advertisement
The cancellation followed a similar decision by Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, dealing a blow to a summit positioned as a major artificial intelligence forum for the Global South. India has sought to use the platform to strengthen its role in global AI governance.
The Gates Foundation said the decision was taken to ensure focus remained on the summit's core priorities. Earlier, the foundation had stated that Gates was expected to attend.
The summit was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi alongside French President Emmanuel Macron. Global technology leaders including Google CEO Sundar Pichai, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei were also present.
In his address, Modi emphasised the need to safeguard children on AI platforms and called for responsible deployment of the technology.
Despite the setbacks, the event saw significant investment commitments. Reliance Industries pledged nearly USD 110 billion over seven years to build AI-related infrastructure. Combined with announcements from the Adani Group, Microsoft and data centre operator Yotta, more than USD 200 billion in AI data centre investments have been proposed in India.
However, analysts have cautioned that rapid expansion of AI infrastructure could strain India's power and water resources.
The summit has also faced criticism over management issues. Exhibition halls were unexpectedly closed to the public on Thursday, leading to complaints from participating companies. A controversy arose after an Indian university was asked to vacate its stall when a robotic dog presented as an in-house innovation was identified as a commercially available product.
Traffic disruptions added to the concerns. Roads were frequently closed to facilitate VIP movement, causing delays across the capital. Social media posts showed attendees walking long distances due to restricted transport access and limited shuttle services.
Opposition leaders criticised the handling of the event, while some participants expressed frustration over logistical arrangements.
The developments have drawn attention to the operational challenges surrounding India's first large-scale AI summit, even as the country continues to attract substantial commitments in artificial intelligence and data centre infrastructure.
Source: Reuters
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