US-based technology giant Google on Tuesday announced a series of artificial intelligence (AI) initiatives for developers, startups, enterprises and educational institutions in India, as Karnataka unveiled an ambitious roadmap to strengthen the state's AI ecosystem with green data centres and a proposed public AI university.
Speaking at the Google I/O Connect India 2026 summit in Bengaluru, Karnataka Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar said the state is working towards establishing India's first public AI university and developing sustainable AI data centres to position Karnataka as the country's AI capital.
He said the proposed university would be developed in consultation with industry stakeholders to create an AI-ready workforce and promote cutting-edge research. The state is also planning green AI data centres that focus on energy efficiency and sustainable infrastructure to meet the growing demand for AI computing.
Highlighting Google's contribution to India's digital transformation, Shivakumar said the company has played a key role in expanding internet access and digital services through products such as Search, Android, YouTube, Maps and Google Pay.
"Google transformed how students learn, how businesses grow, how governments deliver services and how billions of people access knowledge every single day. That is an extraordinary contribution all of you have made," he said.
At the summit, Google unveiled several AI-focused initiatives, including the launch of Google DeepMind's AI Research Foundations curriculum—a free 56-hour programme designed to help learners build and fine-tune large language models. The programme will be offered in partnership with NASSCOM, the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru, and other institutions.
Google also introduced ATL Saathi, a Gemini-powered AI assistant for teachers under the Atal Innovation Mission, with an initial rollout across 100 schools.
In healthcare, the company announced that researchers at AIIMS Delhi are using its open-source MedGemma AI models to develop India-specific solutions for leprosy and sexual and reproductive health. These models will later be made available to the country's developer ecosystem.
Further expanding its AI offerings, Google said Gemini Live now supports 25 Indian languages and dialects, including Sanskrit, Bhojpuri and Maithili.
"India's builders are already deploying AI faster than almost anywhere else. As we drive the shift into the agentic era, our focus is on providing the infrastructure and guardrails the ecosystem needs to scale safely," said Preeti Lobana, Country Manager, Google India.
The company also revealed that the Google Play Store and Android ecosystem generated an estimated Rs 5.3 lakh crore (around $60 billion) in revenue for app publishers and the broader Indian economy in 2025, marking a 28 per cent increase over the previous year.
The announcements come as Karnataka seeks to strengthen its position as India's leading technology hub by combining AI research, education, sustainable infrastructure and industry collaboration to attract investments and nurture the next generation of AI innovation.
