Google has initiated a significant dialogue, “Lab to Impact,” in collaboration with the India AI Impact Summit 2026 on Tuesday. During this event, the technology leader unveiled a series of partnerships and funding initiatives amounting to millions, aimed at propelling India’s growth in artificial intelligence (AI). These efforts will bolster India’s Digital Public Infrastructure, healthcare system, developer community, education sector, and startup ecosystem. Here are the five key announcements made by Google today.
Google’s Funding Initiatives and Strategic Collaborations in India
To enhance innovation in India’s healthcare, Google has allocated $400,000 to support the development of India’s Health Foundation Model through MedGemma, joining forces with AIIMS and IISc. This model will primarily address dermatology and assist hospitals in prioritising patients during outpatient visits. Additionally, it will assist in organising and standardising medical records to comply with the FHIR standard. Moreover, over 400,000 health facilities will be mapped on Google Maps.
In another significant announcement, Google revealed an $8 million funding initiative targeting four AI Centres of Excellence located at IISc Bangalore, IIT Kanpur, IIT Madras, and IIT Ropar. These centres are expected to leverage AI to tackle issues related to non-communicable diseases, urban governance, education, and agriculture. Furthermore, the tech giant will invest $2 million in IIT Bombay to establish the Indic Language Technologies Research Hub. Shri Dharmendra Pradhan, Minister of Education for the Government of India, noted that the four AI Centres of Excellence have been designed as a coordinated national research mission, advancing essential research, responsible AI, and practical solutions serving a public purpose, thereby contributing to the broader goal of Viksit Bharat 2047.
Google has also pledged to aid Indian startups such as Gnani.AI, CoRover.AI, and BharatGen by providing $50,000 in funding to each for creating Indic language AI models. The tech company has further uploaded 22 Gemma models to AIKosh, which is India’s open AI platform supporting developers. In addition to these startups, Google will contribute $4.5 million to Wadhwani AI for the development of multilingual AI applications like HealthVaani and Garuda, aimed at agricultural advisory through the AgriVaani app.
Moreover, Google has entered into a partnership with ReNew Energy to establish a 150 MW solar project in Rajasthan. This initiative is expected to produce clean, renewable energy to facilitate Google’s operations, thereby reducing carbon emissions and promoting environmentally friendly practices in the use of AI technology.
Research indicates that these initiatives could lead to an annual savings of around ₹390 billion in healthcare costs for India. Dr Manish Gupta, Senior Research Director at Google DeepMind, remarked that the comprehensive approach from foundational research to large-scale impact is positioning India to take the lead in a global AI-powered future. Google’s funding reinforces India’s AI initiatives across healthcare, agriculture, and sustainability.
