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Mukesh Ambani said Reliance and Jio will invest Rs 10 lakh crore for affordable, multilingual AI to make India a global leader at India AI Impact Summit 2026.
RIL Chairman Mukesh Ambani Presenting Keynote Address At India AI Impact Summit 2026
At the India AI Impact Summit 2026, Reliance Industries Chairman and Managing Director Mukesh Ambani made it clear that India’s AI ambitions will not be modest.
“India will emerge as one of the greatest AI powers in the world in the 21st century,” Ambani said in his keynote address on ‘AI for Viksit Bharat’, laying out what he described as a long-term, nation-building roadmap.
‘AI Is Not Just Another Technology’
Ambani said artificial intelligence marks a defining shift in human history.
“For the first time, humans are creating human-like systems that can learn, speak, analyse and produce autonomously,” he said.
Calling AI the “mantra that powers every yantra”, he compared it to a modern-day Akshaya Patra — a source of limitless productivity and knowledge.
But he also pointed to a global divide.
One path, he said, risks concentrating AI power in a few countries where compute is expensive and data tightly controlled. The other path — which India supports — is one where AI is affordable and widely accessible.
“Our polarised world stands at a fork,” he noted, asking whether AI will democratise opportunity or deepen inequality.
Why India Has An Edge
Ambani said India’s rise as an AI powerhouse will be driven by what he called the country’s unmatched strengths in demography, democracy, digital infrastructure and data generation.
He cited India’s massive digital footprint:
- Nearly one billion internet users
- Among the lowest mobile data costs globally
- 1.4 billion Aadhaar digital IDs
- Over 12 billion monthly UPI transactions
- More than 100,000 startups and 100+ unicorns
“In terms of digital quality, there is no difference between Delhi and the remotest Indian village,” he said.
Ambani noted that Jio, with over 500 million subscribers, played a key role in India’s broadband and 5G revolution — and will now lead its AI transformation.
‘India Cannot Afford To Rent Intelligence’
Making three major announcements, Ambani said Jio will now connect India to the “Intelligence Era.”
“India cannot afford to rent intelligence,” he asserted. “We will reduce the cost of intelligence as dramatically as we reduced the cost of data.”
He also announced that Reliance and Jio will invest Rs 10 lakh crores over the next seven years starting this year. The investment, he said, is “patient, disciplined, nation-building capital” aimed at long-term economic value and strategic resilience.
Sovereign Compute Push: Data Centres, Green Power, Edge AI
Ambani said the biggest constraint in AI today is not talent, but the scarcity and high cost of compute.
To address this, Jio Intelligence will build India’s sovereign compute infrastructure through three initiatives:
Gigawatt-Scale Data Centres: Construction has begun on multi-gigawatt AI-ready data centres in Jamnagar, with over 120 MW coming online in the second half of 2026 and a clear path to gigawatt-scale capacity.
Green Energy Advantage: Reliance has access to up to 10 GW of surplus green power anchored by solar projects in Kutch and Andhra Pradesh.
Nationwide Edge Compute: An integrated edge-compute layer across Jio’s network will bring low-latency AI services closer to citizens — from kirana stores and farms to classrooms and clinics.
“When compute becomes infrastructure, innovation becomes inevitable,” Ambani said.
AI In Bharat’s Languages
A key pillar of Jio’s AI vision is multilingual capability across Indian languages.
“When farmers and artisans speak to AI in their own words and students learn in their mother tongue, this is not convenience — this is inclusion,” he said.
He said in hindi, “Jio AI Bharat ki bhaasha mein bolega, Bharat ki sanskruti mein phoolega, Bharat ki mitti mein phalega.”
Ambani also stressed that responsibility, data security and trust would remain core guarantees.
Rejecting fears of job losses, he said AI would create new high-skill opportunities rather than eliminate work.
“The AI story has shifted from who has the best model to who can build the strongest ecosystem,” he noted.
AI For Education, Healthcare And Farmers
Ambani said AI growth in India must be driven by “social relevance, not momentary craze.”
He highlighted several AI initiatives already underway:
JioShikshak: An adaptive AI teaching assistant in 22 languages
Jio ArogyaAI: First medical guidance in under five minutes in local languages
JioKrishi: Satellite-driven, voice-first advisory platform for farmers
JioBharatIQ: AI companion helping citizens access government services
He also announced AI-powered devices such as JioFrames and deeper integration of AI into content platforms like JioHotstar to enhance multilingual storytelling and India’s cultural influence globally.
‘AI Must Unite, Not Divide’
Ambani closed his address with a call for global cooperation.
“Be it chips or rare earths, AI works its magic through sharing, not hoarding — through collaboration, not conflict,” he said.
Positioning India as a bridge between the Global North and Global South, Ambani concluded with a message aligned with India’s diplomatic theme:
“One Earth. One Family. One Future.”
With a multi-trillion-rupee investment roadmap, sovereign compute ambitions, and a focus on affordability, Ambani’s address signals that Reliance is positioning itself at the centre of India’s AI century.
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February 19, 2026, 18:51 IST
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