Overview
The India AI Impact Summit 2026 marks a pivotal moment as leaders from technology, government, academia and industry gather at the Global South’s first global AI summit dedicated to advancing multilateral AI collaboration.
The event represents a defining inflection point in the world’s AI journey signaling a shift from dialogue to demonstrable impact. Anchored in the pillars of People, Planet and Progress, the summit envisions a future where AI uplifts humanity, drives inclusive growth and protects our shared planet.
Carrying forward the spirit of India’s original tech pioneer, HCLTech is a global technology leader with a comprehensive portfolio of best-in-class AI products, enterprise-grade services and outcome-driven solutions — supporting the country’s next chapter of AI-led growth.
Where AI Meets ROI
Best-in-class AI products
orchestrating data, experience, operations
Sovereign | Planet‑scale | Secure
Enterprise-grade AI services
that deliver ROI
Scalable I Repeatable I Responsible
Full-stack AI solutions
that guarantee business outcomes
Sovereign I Service platforms I Glocal
Our Leaders at the Summit
Chairperson
HCLTech
Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director
HCLTech
Chief Product Officer, HCLSoftware
HCLTech
Chief Growth Officer, Growth Markets 2: India, Middle East and Africa, France, Iberia, Italy
HCLTech
Chief Technology Officer and Head of Ecosystems
HCLTech
Chief Operating Officer, Corporate Functions
HCLTech
Our Agenda
Pre-Summit event: Resilience Through AI — Building Adaptive Organizations in an Era of Disruption
Panel discussion with ecosystem partners how AI can strengthen organizational resilience and enable enterprises to adapt swiftly and intelligently amid continuous disruption.
Featuring:
Dipakshi Mehandru, Director for India Government Affairs, Intel India
Vijay Raghavendran, Distinguished Architect/CxO Advisor, Cisco India
Moderator:
Piyush Saxena, SVP and Global Head, Google Business Unit, HCLTech
Pre-Summit event: Building Ethical Frameworks for AI-Driven Robotics
Panel discussion convening leaders from industry, academia and policy to shape practical ethics frameworks for AI-enabled robotics covering principles, governance guardrails and implementation considerations.
Featuring:
Sundar R Nagalingam, Senior Director - AI Consulting Partners, NVIDIA
M. Chockalingam, Head of AI, NASSCOM
Mandar Kulkarni, National Technology & Security Officer, India & South Asia, Microsoft
Govind Chandranani, Practice Head of Engineering and R&D Services, HCLTech
Moderator:
Dr. Gaurav Dhakar, AVP – Head of Repeatable AI Solutions Strategy, HCLTech
HCL GUVI India AI Impact Buildathon Grand Finale
Bringing together 40,000+ participants and 15,000+ teams on one national stage, the India AI Impact Buildathon, organized by HCL GUVI, has mobilized some of the country’s brightest AI talent to tackle real-world cybersecurity challenges. From real-time AI spam detection systems to intelligent honeypot solutions that track and identify spammers, participants are building practical solutions with immediate impact. The Top 200 teams now advance to the Offline Grand Finale at the India AI Impact Summit 2026, where the Top 6 will pitch to an esteemed jury following an intense on-ground Buildathon.
Time: 12:30 PM onwards
Venue: L2 Audi 2, Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi
ET AI Impact Forum: Democratizing AI Resources
Part of The Economic Times’ AI Impact Forum, this closed-door session convenes semiconductor leaders, investors and infrastructure executives to examine the physical and economic foundations of India’s AI sovereignty. The discussion moves beyond rhetoric to focus on compute, capital and commissioning velocity required to build durable national capability.
Featuring:
Kalyan Kumar, Chief Product Officer, HCLSoftware
Gokul Subramaniam, President, Intel India
Anne Neuberger, Former Deputy National Security Advisor for Cyber and Emerging Technology, United States
Moderator:
Sunil Gupta, Managing Director & CEO, Yotta
Time: 12:30–1:25 PM
Private event: CNBC-TV18 Global AI Lens soiree
CNBC-TV18’s Global AI Lens Soiree is a private, invite-only gathering that kicks off their weeklong coverage of the India AI Impact Summit 2026. Bringing together senior policymakers, industry leaders and global institutions, the evening centers on how AI will be governed, built and scaled responsibly at a time when India’s role in shaping the global AI agenda is expanding. The program features a fireside chat with Shri P. Thiagarajan, Honorable IT Minister, Government of Tamil Nadu, architect of India’s first state AI policy, along with a welcome address by C Vijayakumar, CEO & Managing Director, HCLTech.
Time: 3:30 PM onward
Venue: Hotel Le Meridien, New Delhi
Private Reception: HCLTech and CNBC-TV18 AI Leadership Mixer
The AI Leadership Mixer, co-hosted by HCLTech and CNBC-TV18, convenes senior policymakers, global business leaders and industry decision-makers for an evening of strategic dialogue and networking. Designed as a high-level exchange, the gathering explores how AI is shaping India’s economic, technological and geopolitical trajectory.
The program features a fireside conversation with Chief Guest Abhishek Singh, DG NIC and Additional Secretary, MeitY, on India’s AI policy and global leadership. A strategic panel discussion will follow, with C Vijayakumar, CEO & Managing Director, HCLTech, alongside global CEOs, moderated by Shereen Bhan, Managing Editor, CNBC-TV18. The evening concludes with a contemporary Indian musical performance and networking dinner among a distinguished group of CXOs.
Time: 7 PM onward
Venue: Hotel Le Méridien, New Delhi
Sovereign AI for India: Designing the Nation’s Future Compute, Data and Innovation Ecosystem
Part of the NASSCOM program at the India AI Impact Summit 2026, this panel explores how Sovereign AI can advance national priorities by strengthening India-centric datasets and models, expanding access to affordable, at-scale compute and embedding responsible AI aligned with India’s regulatory vision and constitutional values.
Featuring:
Kalyan Kumar, Chief Product Officer, HCLSoftware
Bhaskar Gorti, EVP – Cloud & Cybersecurity Services, Tata Communications
Breno Melo, Founding GTM Enterprise Sales Executive, Genspark
Prof. Ganesh Ramakrishnan, Professor, BharatGen
Moderator:
Ankit Bose, Head of AI, NASSCOM
Time: 3:30–4:25 PM
Venue: West Wing Room 4B, Bharat Mandapam
India’s AI Stack: The Role of Industry in Shaping Compute, Data and Digital Public Infrastructure
This main summit session brings together leading industry voices to examine how enterprise leaders are shaping India’s AI stack across compute, data and digital public infrastructure. The discussion will focus on the private sector’s role in building scalable, resilient and innovation-ready foundations to support India’s long-term AI ambitions.
Featuring:
C Vijayakumar, CEO & Managing Director, HCLTech
K. Krithivasan, CEO, Tata Consultancy Services
Salil Parekh, CEO, Infosys
Arundhati Bhattacharya, Chairperson & CEO, Salesforce India
Anand Deshpande, Founder, Chairman, & MD, Persistent Systems
Moderator:
Amitabh Kant, Former CEO, NITI Aayog
Time: 4–5 PM
Venue: L3 Plenary Hall, Bharat Mandapam
HCLTech Presents CNBC-TV18 Global AI Lens
As India’s AI moment takes center stage, HCLTech is proud to serve as the Presenting Partner of CNBC-TV18’s Global AI Lens: exclusive, weeklong programming from the India AI Impact Summit 2026. Through in-depth conversations and high-impact dialogues, Global AI Lens brings together global and regional voices to examine responsible, inclusive and scalable AI for real-world outcomes. The series highlights India’s growing influence in shaping the direction of AI — from the Global South to the Global Stage. Tune in February 16–20 on CNBC-TV18 across TV and digital for insights and analysis from one of the most consequential AI gatherings of the year.
Visit Our Booth at AI India Expo
Explore best-in-class AI products, enterprise-grade AI services and full-stack AI solutions built to deliver ROI and business outcomes. Meet the HCLTech and HCLSoftware teams at Booth 4.5 | Hall 4.