Nvidia Corp. CEO Jensen Huang has joined forces with Mukesh Ambani, Asia’s richest man, to advance artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure in India, the world’s most populous country. The collaboration aims to drive the adoption of AI across various sectors, marking a significant milestone for both companies.
New Data Center with Nvidia’s Blackwell Chips
The two leaders unveiled their plans at Nvidia’s AI Summit in Mumbai, where Ambani’s Reliance Industries Ltd. announced the development of a major data center powered by Nvidia’s cutting-edge Blackwell chips. This facility, currently under construction in Gujarat, will be one of the first in the world to deploy Nvidia’s latest chips. Additional partnerships were also revealed, including collaborations with Indian conglomerates like Infosys Ltd. and Tata Consultancy Services Ltd.
India’s Growing AI Ecosystem
With a population of 1.4 billion, India has emerged as a key player in the global AI landscape, incorporating AI into sectors such as agriculture, education, and manufacturing to enhance productivity. Global tech companies, including Nvidia, Microsoft, and Meta, see India as a fast-growing market with immense potential, particularly as a counterbalance to China’s AI dominance.
“India has historically exported software,” Huang noted. “In the future, India will export AI.”
Expanding AI Partnerships and Collaborations
The new 1-gigawatt Reliance data center will be a flagship project for Nvidia’s Blackwell chips. Other Nvidia clients, like Amazon Web Services (AWS), are also set to adopt the technology, with AWS expecting Blackwell to go live next year. Dell Technologies Inc. is preparing to release Blackwell-based servers in early 2025, solidifying the chip’s importance for global AI advancements.
In addition to data center developments, Nvidia will collaborate with Indian firms such as Tech Mahindra Ltd. to create a Hindi large language model and with Flipkart to enhance its conversational customer service systems. The company is also working with healthcare organizations to improve patient care and research through AI-driven solutions.
Nvidia’s Global AI Leadership
Nvidia has become a cornerstone of the global AI revolution, providing the essential hardware that powers AI software for companies like Microsoft and Google. Huang has been actively promoting AI adoption worldwide, calling it a “new industrial revolution.” Nvidia’s operations in India have grown significantly since its entry two decades ago, with development centers in four cities and about 4,000 engineers—its largest workforce outside the US.
The company’s partnership with Reliance and Tata Group, initiated last year, underscores the rapid growth of AI infrastructure in India. Ambani’s Reliance Industries is also developing an AI ecosystem known as JioBrain, a project that he highlighted multiple times during a shareholder meeting in August.
Strategic Importance of India Amid US-China Tensions
As US-China tensions escalate, India has gained prominence for global tech firms. Nvidia, whose business dealings with China have been constrained by US government restrictions, now views India as a critical growth market. Huang emphasized “India’s moment” following his meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi during a visit to the US.
Although India’s digital economy is expanding rapidly, its AI infrastructure remains in its early stages. The Indian government has earmarked $1.2 billion under the IndiaAI Mission to build AI data centers and accelerate the commercialization of AI technologies across industries.
