From lab to impact: How Google’s $8 million boost is powering India’s AI future

Unveiled at Google’s “Lab to Impact” dialogue in December, the initiative aligns seamlessly with India’s national vision to “Make AI in India and Make AI work for India”, and reinforces a partnership model where global technology leaders collaborate with public institutions to deliver tangible societal outcomes.

Backed by the upcoming India AI Impact Summit 2026, the announcement marks more than a financial commitment. It signals confidence in India’s research institutions, digital public infrastructure and talent ecosystem—elements that together are shaping an AI future rooted in scale, diversity and public good.

Speaking at the event, Dr. Manish Gupta, Senior Research Director at Google DeepMind, described AI as “humanity’s most profound and powerful force for progress,” adding that India’s distinctive embrace of the technology positions it to lead an AI-powered global future.

Google’s investments reflect this belief, channelling resources into institutions that sit at the intersection of cutting-edge research and real-world application.

The $8 million grant from Google.org, Google’s philanthropic arm, will support four government-established AI Centres of Excellence. Each centre focuses on a critical national priority, ensuring that AI innovation directly addresses India’s most pressing development needs.

Four centres, one national mission

At TANUH at IISc Bengaluru, the focus is on scalable AI solutions for the treatment and management of non-communicable diseases.

By leveraging advanced analytics and machine learning, the centre aims to improve early diagnosis, personalise care pathways and strengthen public health outcomes across diverse populations.

The Airawat Research Foundation at IIT Kanpur is working on AI-driven solutions to transform urban governance.

From traffic management and resource allocation to citizen engagement and predictive planning, the research promises to make Indian cities smarter, more responsive and more efficient.

Education, another cornerstone of national development, is at the heart of the AI Centre of Excellence for Education at IIT Madras.

The centre is developing AI tools to enhance teaching and learning outcomes, personalise education at scale and support educators with intelligent insights—helping India prepare its youth for an AI-driven economy.

Agriculture, which sustains millions of livelihoods, is being strengthened through ANNAM.AI at IIT Ropar.

The centre is deploying data-driven AI solutions to improve farm productivity, crop planning and farmer welfare, reinforcing India’s commitment to technology-led rural empowerment.

Together, these centres reflect a holistic vision where AI supports health, cities, classrooms and farms—domains that touch every Indian.

AI and digital public infrastructure: A powerful convergence

Beyond funding research, Google has announced collaborations that integrate AI directly into India’s Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI), particularly in healthcare.

A $400,000 grant for Health Foundation Models will support the use of MedGemma to build India-specific health AI models, tailored to local data, conditions and needs.

In partnership with the National Health Authority (NHA), Google is deploying advanced AI systems to convert millions of fragmented and unstructured medical records into the globally recognised, machine-readable FHIR standard.

This transformation is expected to significantly improve interoperability, continuity of care and data-driven decision-making across India’s healthcare system.

In another citizen-centric initiative, Google is helping onboard over 400,000 registered health facilities onto Google Maps and Search. By ensuring accurate, official and up-to-date information, the collaboration enhances access, transparency and trust in public health services.

Recognising that India’s AI future must reflect its linguistic richness, Google announced a $2 million founding contribution to establish the Indic Language Technologies Research Hub at IIT Bombay.

The hub will focus on developing AI models and tools that understand and serve India’s many languages, ensuring that technological progress remains inclusive.

In a major step towards open innovation, all 22 Gemma models, Google’s foundational open models, have been uploaded to AIKosh, the India AI Mission’s open data and model platform.

This move empowers Indian researchers and startups to build, adapt and deploy AI solutions using world-class models.

To further catalyse innovation, Indian startups leveraging Gemma for Indic language applications are receiving $50,000 in funding, loweringbarriers to entry and accelerating the translation of research into products.

Strengthening AI for agriculture and social impact

Google’s support also extends to targeted grants aimed at high-impact applications.

A $2.5 million grant to Wadhwani AI supports the piloting of a large language model-based conversational AI assistant, designed to deliver accessible, context-aware information to users.

A separate $2 million grant will enable Wadhwani AI to develop a new Indian language model specifically for agriculture.

By combining AI with local languages and domain knowledge, the initiative aims to empower farmers with timely insights, improve decision-making and enhance productivity.

What sets Google’s India commitment apart is its emphasis on responsibility, openness and collaboration.

By working with government institutions, academic centres and non-profits, Google is helping build an AI ecosystem that prioritises public good alongside technological advancement.

The initiatives also complement India’s broader push for Atmanirbhar Bharat, demonstrating how global partnerships can strengthen domestic capabilities without compromising sovereignty or inclusivity.