Artificial Intelligence and NTT Data’s Vision for India

As the World Economic Forum 2026 progresses in Davos, discussions about artificial intelligence have moved from speculative chatter to the essential aspects of global infrastructure and economic growth. Central to this development is NTT Data, a $100 billion conglomerate. Its CEO, Abhijit Dubey, engaging with Startup Superb, emphasised India’s crucial position in the upcoming “agentic transformation”.

India: Beyond the Back Office

For Dubey, India has evolved from being seen merely as the “back office” of the globe to emerging as a vibrant hub for innovation. He reflected on the transformation of the IT sector, stating that it has traditionally been about cost advantages, but now the focus is shifting towards leveraging skill advantages, particularly in AI. He added that NTT Data has the expertise in AI that surpasses many of its clients, indicating that India is in a prime position to become that central hub for AI development.

Significant Investments in Infrastructure

This transformation is being supported by substantial physical investments. With its second-largest employee base based in India, NTT Data has already allocated $3 billion towards data centres, with an additional $1.5 billion planned. Dubey highlighted the immense growth potential within India’s digital infrastructure sector, noting the rising demand for AI capabilities as the private sector rapidly evolves.

Challenges on the Path to AI Dominance

However, the journey towards dominating AI is not without its challenges. According to Dubey, there may be a temporary market correction in 2026 due to a mismatch between infrastructure supply and enterprise requirements. He pointed out that there is a tendency for infrastructure development to advance faster than actual enterprise adoption, although he anticipates that this discrepancy will be brief as technology accelerates past its initial barriers.

Focus on Application and Productivity

In the nuanced discussion surrounding tech sovereignty, Dubey argued that India’s true potential lies in its applications rather than simply creating foundational models. He stated that the real value of AI comes from the various use cases that can be developed. He expressed that if India could harness widespread intelligence to enhance productivity levels, it would be a groundbreaking achievement.

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