SAN FRANCISCO : Finance Minister Smt.Nirmala Sitharaman is engaging with senior executives in San Francisco to foster bilateral cooperation in technology, AI, energy, and digital infrastructure. Her discussions aim to enhance investment collaborations between India and the US. Arriving in San Francisco, she began her 11-day tour with a meeting with the Indian diaspora.
During her stay, she has interacted with key figures from Silicon Valley, including venture capital firm a16z and tech company VMware. She suggested that these companies “may like to explore collaboration across sectors” such as AI in education and healthcare, highlighting the “remarkable transformation in technology space” driven by India’s leadership.
Sitharaman also met Google Cloud CEO Thomas Kurian to discuss the “transformative evolution of India’s digital infrastructure under the #DigitalIndia initiative.” Kurian acknowledged India’s strides in AI and outlined Google Cloud’s ambition to operate entirely on carbon-free energy by 2030.
Sitharaman encouraged Google Cloud to “explore local linkages in India for territorial collaboration,” further promoting the #MakeInIndia initiative. These discussions underscore India’s strategic positioning as a global digital leader.
In another meeting, DataRobot CEO Debanjan Saha expressed interest in India’s AI initiatives, noting the government’s efforts including a Rs 10,300 crore budget for the IndiaAI Mission.
Sitharaman highlighted India’s top global ranking in AI skill penetration and outlined a proposed Rs 1 lakh crore private sector-driven research scheme. Saha recognised India’s potential as an AI superpower and expressed interest in the AI Centre of Excellence, for which Rs 500 crore has been allocated in the recent budget.
Sitharaman continued her engagements with Turing CEO Jonathan Siddharth, discussing India’s policy framework for AI. Siddharth “expressed his desire to see India at the forefront of #AI revolution,” emphasising collaborative efforts with Indian contributors to create a global model for AI.
Additionally, Sitharaman attended a luncheon roundtable with pension fund managers and institutional investors. Participants shared their views on India’s reforms and expressed a commitment to deepening US-India investment collaboration.
Concluding her San Francisco visit, Sitharaman delivered a keynote address at Stanford University on India’s development vision for 2047, framed under the #ViksitBharat initiative. She will proceed to Washington DC to participate in the Spring Meetings of the IMF and World Bank, and other international financial engagements
