Washington, Feb 14 – Artificial intelligence is at a critical juncture globally, and India must treat data as its “next oil” if it wants to lead the next industrial revolution, Sunil Pal, Head of AI GPU Allocation at AMD, said ahead of the India AI Impact Summit in New Delhi.
“2026 is the year for AI,” Pal told IANS, describing the technology wave that began with ChatGPT’s release in 2022 as “like the fourth industrial revolution.”
He said countries are racing to capture value in a market projected to reach $1.7 trillion by 2031.
“Everyone is trying to see how they can capitalize on this overall AI,” he said, adding that “data is the key.”
According to Pal, the summit in India comes at a time when governments and companies worldwide are evaluating how to scale AI infrastructure and applications.
He outlined three areas where India stands out: “AI talent and engineering depth,” a “global digital backbone,” and a shift “from services to strategic innovation hub.”
India offers “one of the largest AI and digital engineering talent pools,” he said, enabling enterprises “to scale AI rapidly and cost-effectively.”
He pointed to the country’s role in managing global enterprise platforms, cybersecurity operations, analytics, and AI development. Indian technology firms, he said, are “well-positioned to understand the evolving trends and adapt accordingly.”
India is also evolving “into AI research, product engineering, semiconductor design, and global capability centers.” With “1.2 billion people,” he added, the country has a built-in advantage in scale.
But Pal warned that infrastructure will determine whether India can convert that potential into leadership.
“Building data centers requires reliable power,” he said. “Electricity is the key, and high-quality electricity is essential.”
He said governments must invest in reliable and affordable energy, including hydro, nuclear, wind, and solar power. “This is a long-term investment,” he said. Countries need to “look at this holistically and plan for the long term.”
Building data centers requires large-scale planning, land acquisition, and regulatory approvals. Pal noted that even in the United States, projects require public consultations and clearances. Similar processes in India will take time.
Still, he emphasised that compute infrastructure is not limited to a single geography. It is “location-independent,” he said, and can be deployed in one part of the country and used elsewhere, or even globally, through the internet.
On global competition, Pal said the United States currently has a stronger lead in AI, but “China is not lagging behind.” He recalled visiting Beijing in 2018 and being struck by the level of automation and AI deployment even then.
China’s approach, he said, reflects a “highly focused effort.” But he stressed that AI remains in its early stages everywhere. “AI is still in its early stages,” he said, adding that countries from Singapore to Dubai and across Europe are moving quickly.
For India, the challenge is to stay alert and engaged. “You need to be proactive,” he said, and assess how AI can be integrated into an economy that is already among the world’s largest.
Pal also emphasized that AI is not merely a cost-cutting tool. “It is enabling revenue growth through hyper-personalization, predictive insights, and digital business models,” he said.
In healthcare, he explained, AI can narrow down options and accelerate research cycles. Experiments that once required large teams and extended timelines can now be streamlined. “Machines are learning very quickly,” he said.
At the same time, he cautioned that data quality matters. “If you provide inaccurate information, you will get inaccurate results.”
Looking ahead five years, Pal said he does not have a “crystal ball,” but believes the technology is still in its “infancy stage.” He compared AI’s current moment to the early days of the steam engine, the internet, and the smartphone.
Each of these innovations, he said, reshaped industries and created trillion-dollar companies. AI, in his view, represents a similar turning point.
“If you don’t adopt, you will fall behind, and you don’t want to do that,” he said.
Calling the India AI Impact Summit “a positive development,” Pal said New Delhi’s push into semiconductors and digital infrastructure is long overdue. He drew a parallel to oil-rich economies of the 20th century.
“Data is the next oil,” he said. With the right ecosystem, talent, and infrastructure, he suggested, India can turn that resource into long-term economic strength.
The India AI Impact Summit follows similar gatherings in London and France and comes as governments worldwide are accelerating investments in AI chips, data centers, and research. India has rolled out incentives for semiconductor manufacturing and digital infrastructure, aiming to position itself as a major player in the global AI value chain.
As geopolitical competition intensifies over advanced technologies, New Delhi is seeking to leverage its engineering base and digital scale to emerge as a central hub in the next phase of AI-led growth.
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