FM Sitharaman meets Google Cloud CEO, US business leaders to boost tech ties

The minister also met a16z’s Anjney Midha and VMware’s Raghu Raghuram to discuss Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s policies and AI ventures in education, healthcare, skilling; briefed DataRobot’s Debanjan Saha on IndiaAI programmes, outlined sovereign AI collaboration with Turing’s Jonathan Siddharth

Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, during her ongoing US visit, met Google Cloud CEO Thomas Kurian in San Francisco, where both sides discussed strengthening India-US cooperation in artificial intelligence, digital infrastructure, and sustainable technology.

The discussion highlighted the rapid evolution of India’s digital ecosystem under the Digital India initiative, with Kurian lauding India’s leadership in global digital adoption and its strategic commitment to AI. He underscored Google Cloud’s ambition to operate entirely on carbon-free energy by 2030 and shared plans for an India-centric investment strategy. Sitharaman encouraged Google Cloud to explore local partnerships as part of the Make in India mission and suggested deeper collaboration in AI and cloud infrastructure.

The minister’s meeting with Kurian set the tone for a series of high-profile engagements with Silicon Valley tech leaders and investors as part of her 11-day visit to the United States and Peru. Her agenda has focused on promoting India as a hub for innovation, investment, and digital excellence.

AI collaboration and skill development initiatives

Earlier, Sitharaman met venture capital firm a16z General Partner Anjney Midha and VMware CEO Raghu Raghuram. She discussed Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s transformative digital policies and invited both firms to explore joint ventures in AI, especially in education, healthcare, and skill development.

Raghuram described AI as a form of strategic infrastructure and acknowledged India’s visible progress in space. Midha noted that a16z operates across 16 global sectors, offering infrastructure-focused investments, and expressed interest in contributing to India's AI skilling ecosystem. Sitharaman emphasized the importance of training India’s youth in future technologies and encouraged the VC firm to support such initiatives.

In a separate meeting, DataRobot CEO Debanjan Saha was briefed on India's expansive AI roadmap, including the ₹10,300 crore IndiaAI Mission, BharatGen language technologies, Sarvam-1, and the Srijan Centre for Generative AI at IIT Jodhpur. She also discussed the proposed ₹1 lakh crore private sector-driven R&D and innovation fund and India’s leadership in AI skill penetration. Saha expressed interest in the AI Centre of Excellence and called India a potential AI superpower.

AI policy, investment talks, and keynote

Sitharaman also engaged with Turing CEO Jonathan Siddharth, highlighting India’s AI policy framework and encouraging him to collaborate on sovereign AI models. Siddharth expressed a strong desire to position India at the forefront of the global AI revolution.

At a luncheon roundtable hosted by the Consulate General of India in San Francisco, the Finance Minister met institutional investors and pension fund managers alongside Finance Secretary Ajay Seth and India’s Ambassador to the US, Vinay Mohan Kwatra. The dialogue focused on India’s reform trajectory and strengthening two-way investment flows, with specific interest shown in energy, sustainability, GIFT-IFSC, and the R&D innovation fund.

Later, Sitharaman delivered a keynote address at Stanford University’s Hoover Institution titled "Laying the Foundations for a Developed India: Viksit Bharat by 2047", followed by a fireside chat with Professor Steve Davis.