AI skilling and capability building will determine India’s competitive edge

India’s ambition to emerge as a global artificial intelligence (AI) hub will depend as much on developing talent and capabilities as on the massive capital commitments being made by global technology giants, says Akhilesh Tuteja, Partner at KPMG India.

In an interview with CNBC-TV18, he noted that while investments like Amazon’s $35 billion pledge through 2030 and Microsoft’s $17.5 billion — its largest in Asia — are significant, India’s true competitive advantage will come from how quickly its workforce can learn to design, implement, and deploy AI solutions. Tuteja highlighted that these investments are not just traditional data centers; Microsoft’s funds, for example, are being directed toward AI-ready facilities capable of providing sovereign public cloud services while keeping data within India.

Equally important is capability building. Microsoft aims to train 20 million Indians in AI by 2030, while Amazon plans to introduce AI education for 4 million government school students. Tuteja called this “a massive number” and a key foundation for India’s competitiveness. He also stressed that AI platforms could deliver public good, particularly for the informal workforce via initiatives like eShram, but equitable access must be prioritized to avoid creating new divides.

Ultimately, India’s success in AI will hinge on scaling talent, building capabilities, and ensuring inclusive deployment alongside infrastructure investments.