Prime Minister Narendra Modi highlighted India’s growing global technology leadership, citing its GCC presence, AI ecosystem, digital payments, chip-design expertise, research achievements and expanding employment opportunities.
India is strengthening its position as a global technology and innovation hub, with more than half of the world’s Global Capability Centres (GCCs) located in the country. Prime Minister Narendra Modi highlighted this achievement while addressing the NDTV World Summit in New Delhi on October 22, 2026.
He also noted that India ranks among the world’s top three artificial intelligence (AI) ecosystems and continues to expand its presence in digital services, research, manufacturing and technology development.
According to the Prime Minister, India remains the fastest-growing major economy and is working towards becoming one of the world’s three largest economies. The country is also among the largest digital economies globally and leads the world in real-time digital payments.
Prime Minister Modi said India’s Global Capability Centres have evolved beyond traditional support functions. These centres increasingly undertake advanced work in AI, cloud computing, engineering, data analytics and product development for international businesses.
This transformation reflects a shift from India being viewed primarily as a global “Back Office” to becoming a “Brain Office” that contributes to innovation, research and strategic decision-making.
The expansion of GCC operations highlights India’s growing pool of skilled professionals and its ability to support complex technology-driven activities. Their changing role also strengthens the country’s position in global business services and digital innovation.
India’s ranking among the top three AI ecosystems reflects its expanding technology capabilities, according to the Prime Minister’s remarks.
AI development is increasingly connected with cloud infrastructure, engineering, analytics and product creation. These areas are also becoming important parts of the work undertaken by GCCs operating in India.
The country’s wider technology ecosystem, including its research institutions and skilled workforce, supports its ambitions to increase participation in advanced digital industries.
India’s progress in AI forms part of a broader effort to strengthen domestic innovation while contributing technology and services to international markets.
The Prime Minister highlighted India’s contribution to the semiconductor industry, stating that nearly 20% of the world’s chip-design workforce is based in the country.
Indian engineers are working on advanced semiconductor designs, including technologies based on 2-nanometre and 3-nanometre processes. These advanced designs are important for developing increasingly powerful and efficient electronic devices.
India’s academic institutions are also contributing to chip development. According to Modi, students at Indian institutions have designed more than 325 chips.
These achievements highlight the role of engineering education and technical expertise in strengthening India’s semiconductor design capabilities.
India’s research and intellectual property activity also featured in the Prime Minister’s address. He said the country ranks third globally in research publications and recorded nearly 1.5 lakh patent filings in 2025.
Research publications reflect scientific and academic output, while patent filings indicate efforts to protect new inventions and technological developments.
Together, these indicators point to the growing importance of research, innovation and intellectual property in India’s economic development. Continued progress in these areas could support technology-led businesses and strengthen collaboration between academic institutions and industry.
Modi also highlighted developments across India’s economy. According to his remarks, goods exports increased by nearly 25% year-on-year in September, while seafood exports have more than doubled over the past 12 years.
He described India as a major digital economy and the global leader in real-time digital payments. Digital payment infrastructure has become an important part of the country’s financial and commercial ecosystem.
The Prime Minister’s comments placed these developments alongside India’s broader ambition to become one of the world’s three largest economies.
The address also covered initiatives related to women’s economic participation and job creation.
More than 3.5 crore women have become Lakhpati Didis, according to the figures cited by Modi, against a national target of six crore. The initiative aims to help women associated with self-help groups develop sustainable income-generating activities.
The Prime Minister also said approximately 70 lakh new jobs had been created under the Pradhan Mantri Viksit Bharat Rozgar Yojana.
These figures were presented as part of the government’s broader efforts to promote employment, income generation and economic participation.
India’s manufacturing ambitions also extend to the pharmaceutical sector. Modi highlighted the resumption of domestic production of Penicillin G at Kakinada in Andhra Pradesh after several decades.
The development was linked to the government’s Production Linked Incentive (PLI) framework, which seeks to encourage domestic manufacturing and strengthen industrial capabilities.
The PLI scheme for Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (APIs) has attracted investments exceeding ₹5,000 crore across approximately 40 projects, according to the figures cited in the address.
Increasing domestic production of pharmaceutical ingredients can help strengthen India’s manufacturing base and reduce reliance on external supply sources.
Conclusion
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s address highlighted India’s expanding role in global technology, AI, semiconductor design, research and manufacturing. The country’s GCC presence, digital payment leadership and growing innovation activity underline its ambitions to become a leading global economic and technological power. Employment initiatives, women’s empowerment programmes and pharmaceutical manufacturing investments also featured among the developments presented at the NDTV World Summit.