Amazon to Build India's AI Muscle With $12.7 Billion Bet

With artificial general intelligence (AGI) inching closer and the US locked in a high-stakes tech rivalry with China, Amazon Web Services (AWS) is making a bold but quiet move—betting on India to become the third major force in the global artificial intelligence (AI) race.

- PEERZADA ABRAR

It's pouring $12.7 billion into infrastructure (infra) that could help shape who controls the computing backbone of tomorrow's most advanced AI systems.

The bet comes at a pivotal moment. Amid growing concerns in the US about lagging behind China in AI development—and as tech leaders like Sam Altman predict AGI could arrive within years—AWS is building cloud infra across India's tech hubs that could power the next generation of AI breakthroughs. The company's $12.7 billion commitment through 2030 represents one of the largest foreign tech investments in the country.

“You need all these investments in computer infra to power those future developments in a big way,” said Swami Sivasubramanian, vice-president, AWS Agentic AI, and, until recently, a key advisor to the White House on AI competitiveness. “We are in an unprecedented time when it comes to AI, in terms of what it is able to do,” said Sivasubramanian, who was on a visit to India.

He sees India's millions of developers as a strategic asset that neither the US nor China can replicate. “The Indian developer community is one of the most vibrant communities,” said Sivasubramanian. “Indian builders are incredibly passionate, curious, and excited to embrace new technologies.”