Quantum computing is set to redefine artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, and scientific discovery, promising unprecedented speeds and capabilities while also necessitating urgent development of quantum-safe security measures and strategic enterprise readiness, says Sunil Varghese.
Indian-origin tech executive Uday Ruddaraju has been appointed Chief Technology Officer, Compute at OpenAI, a year after leaving Elon Musk's xAI. Ruddaraju, an alumnus of Hyderabad's Chaitanya Bharathi Institute of Technology, announced his new role on LinkedIn, highlighting OpenAI's mission to build the world's largest compute footprint for frontier AI.
India is adopting a two-pronged strategy for artificial intelligence development, focusing on open-source models and indigenous innovation to counter global access restrictions on advanced AI technologies. The government aims to support local developers and ensure AI creates tangible economic impact across various sectors, rather than being solely driven by market speculation.
'The government has to act as one unit since the threat from these newer models will soon scale up.'
Alphabet has announced a significant leadership reshuffle within its artificial intelligence division, appointing Google DeepMind co-founder Demis Hassabis as Chief Scientist to intensify its focus on artificial general intelligence (AGI). Koray Kavukcuoglu will become Senior Vice President of Google DeepMind, overseeing Gemini development and frontier AI research. Additionally, Google veterans Jeff Dean and Sanjay Ghemawat are launching a new public benefit corporation for ML and science discoveries, supported by Google.
The move comes amid growing demand from organisations in India for local access to Claude.
Generative artificial intelligence (AI) is beginning to alter hiring patterns in South Asia, with multinational companies (MNCs) and firms integrated into global value chains (GVCs) reducing recruitment more sharply than domestic firms, signalling the technology's early impact on the region's export-oriented services sector, according to the World Bank's World Development Report 2026.
The Hyderabad AI factory is being designed to run some of the world's largest and most sophisticated AI models, including trillion-parameter models and next-generation agentic AI applications.
The aim is to win over the country's enterprises, developers and startups as AI systems shift from answering questions to autonomously executing tasks.
Accel and Google's AI Futures Fund have announced the five startups selected for the 2026 Atoms AI Cohort, focusing on enterprise, voice, and industrial AI solutions, with each startup receiving significant investment and resources.
Indian government agencies and private sector firms have secured access to Anthropic's advanced AI model, Mythos, through Project Glasswing. This initiative aims to enhance cybersecurity by identifying software vulnerabilities in critical infrastructure. Anthropic has also urged a moderated pace of AI development due to potential societal risks.
'...A new challenge has emerged in the form of Mythos.'
Azim Premji's private investment firm, Premji Invest, has quietly built a formidable portfolio of 11 AI startups, primarily in the US, with a combined valuation of $43 billion. The firm has participated in 19 funding rounds since 2021, with a notable focus on US-based companies, many of which were founded by Indian entrepreneurs.
Chinese President Xi Jinping called for global collaboration in artificial intelligence development, emphasising a "symphony of global collaboration" over a "solo performance" by any single nation. Speaking at the World Artificial Intelligence Conference in Shanghai, Xi highlighted the need for ethical AI governance, shared prosperity, and addressing challenges like the widening digital divide. He also announced China's commitment to support developing countries with 5,000 AI research projects and training programmes. The event also saw 29 countries sign an agreement to establish the World Artificial Intelligence Cooperation Organisation (WAICO) in Shanghai.
'There's been a sense of FOMO, fear mongering and that has led to token consumption without linkages to ROI and without linkages to outcomes.'
Dr Lovi Raj Gupta, pro vice-chancellor, Lovely Professional University, explains how aspiring professionals can equip themselves for a competitive AI-driven job market.
Anthropic has introduced Rupee-denominated pricing for its Claude AI assistant in India, making its Pro and Max plans more accessible to one of its largest user communities. This move, alongside the opening of its Bengaluru office and increased revenue, highlights Anthropic's growing focus on the Indian market, a sentiment echoed by rival OpenAI.
Chinese President Xi Jinping has called for global collaboration in Artificial Intelligence development, stating it should be a "symphony" rather than a "solo performance." His remarks came at the World Artificial Intelligence Conference (WAIC) in Shanghai, where 29 countries also signed an agreement to establish the World Artificial Intelligence Cooperation Organisation (WAICO), an independent intergovernmental body headquartered in Shanghai. China also pledged 5,000 AI research projects and training for developing nations.
Global technology giant Google has announced the selection of 20 Indian AI startups for its 2026 Google for Startups Accelerator programme, marking the 10th anniversary of its accelerator initiatives.
Global semiconductor giant AMD projects the overall market for compute infrastructure, driven by artificial intelligence, to reach USD 2 trillion by 2030 from USD 365 billion in 2025. The company unveiled new products and its Helios AI infrastructure, emphasising an open ecosystem and significant performance gains over competitors, with India playing a key role in its global rollout.
Global semiconductor giant AMD projects the overall market for compute infrastructure, driven by artificial intelligence, to reach USD 2 trillion by 2030 from USD 365 billion in 2025. The company unveiled new products and its Helios AI infrastructure, emphasising an open ecosystem and significant performance gains over competitors, with India playing a key role in its global rollout.
OpenAI and Anthropic are not simply enabling new software capabilities, they are moving directly into enterprise execution, workflow ownership, and decision orchestration.
Former Chief Economic Adviser Krishnamurthy V Subramanian outlines India's strategy to become a USD 55 trillion economy by 2047. The plan hinges on leveraging its young demographic in AI, dominating sunrise sectors like space and defence tech, attracting FDI, and achieving sustained 8% GDP growth.
The Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) announced the seizure of approximately 60 kg of ganja from various railway stations and the arrest of three individuals during operations aimed at curbing drug trafficking.
Tata Consultancy Services has partnered with French artificial intelligence firm Mistral to provide frontier grade AI solution, Mistral Forge, for enterprises across the world.
An Indian AI Research Organisation official says India has adopted a balanced and pragmatic approach to AI regulation, avoiding the extremes of the US and EU models.
A new report by EY-Parthenon and CREDAI indicates that Generative AI (GenAI) could inject USD 14-17 billion into India's real estate economy over the next seven years. The technology is expected to significantly enhance operational efficiency, boost sales velocity by 30-50 per cent, and accelerate product launches, offering competitive differentiation and improved customer experiences for developers.
The India AI Impact Summit 2026 saw investment pledges of USD 240 billion from major players like Reliance, Adani, Google, Lightspeed Ventures, and Tata, signalling a significant boost to India's AI infrastructure and development.
In the first three quarters of 2025, FDE job demand jumped by nearly 800 per cent.
SEBI Chairman Tuhin Kanta Pandey stated that cybersecurity is now a board-level concern, not just an IT challenge, emphasising the need for caution when deploying artificial intelligence in critical infrastructure. He highlighted that AI for cybersecurity must be secure, governed, and accountable, and also addressed the emerging risks from quantum computing, urging collective resilience and sharing of best practices among regulators.
Sarvam AI, an Indian full-stack sovereign artificial intelligence company, has achieved unicorn status after raising $234 million in a Series B funding round led by HCLTech and Bessemer Venture Partners, with HCLTech acquiring a 10.46 per cent stake.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in his Independence Day address, highlighted technology and innovation as central to India's goal of becoming a developed nation by 2047. He called for India to lead in emerging technologies like AI, quantum computing, and space, announcing a massive AI skilling initiative for one crore youth. Modi stressed the importance of becoming a global innovation hub, bolstering energy security with nuclear power, and strengthening cybersecurity.
Six faculty members from IIT Madras have been awarded the prestigious ANRF J C Bose Grant, recognising their outstanding research contributions in engineering and science. The highly competitive grant provides Rs 25 lakh annually for five years to support frontier research.
A report indicates that mid-tier banking, financial services, and insurance (BFSI) entities in India are highly exposed to cyberattacks due to aggressive digitisation coupled with insufficient cybersecurity investments.
A major tragedy was averted in Assam's Hojai district on Wednesday when forest personnel alerted the Rajdhani Express after spotting a large herd of elephants crossing a railway track, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said.
Infosys on Tuesday announced a strategic collaboration with American artificial intelligence company Anthropic to develop and deploy advanced enterprise AI solutions for companies across telecommunications, financial services, manufacturing, and software development.
The third edition of the Viksit Bharat Young Leaders Dialogue (VBYLD) has commenced with a quiz contest, leading to a national finale in January 2027 where young leaders will present their ideas for a developed India to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The multi-stage event includes essay challenges, district championships, and state-level dialogues, aiming to foster youth participation in nation-building across various thematic areas.
'Today, we see people go on ChatGPT to ask 'can you plan my holiday' and then they have to go outside of the ChatGPT window to make all the bookings and so how can we complete that really high-intent use case that a user has come to ChatGPT with and help them complete that all the way within the chat GPT window.'
Infosys reported a 12.2 per cent year-on-year increase in consolidated net profit for the June quarter, reaching Rs 7,769 crore, but simultaneously lowered its full-year FY27 revenue growth outlook to 1.5-3 per cent, citing an uncertain macro-environment.
Bank fraud is no longer just an external cyber threat -- insiders with legitimate access can exploit banking systems, trusted credentials and institutional blind spots to quietly siphon money.
