India Must Architect Intelligence, Not Just Import It: Jeet Adani Outlines Sovereign AI Vision
NEW DELHI, February 19, 2026: In a powerful call for “modern nationalism,” Jeet Adani of the Adani Group today asserted that India’s rise in the 21st century will be defined by its ability to build its own artificial intelligence (AI) systems rather than plugging into foreign frameworks. Speaking at the India AI Impact Summit 2026 in Delhi, Adani outlined a comprehensive roadmap for “India’s Intelligence Century,” anchored by a massive $100 billion investment in sovereign, green-energy-powered infrastructure.
Addressing a global audience of innovators and world leaders, Adani equated AI to the historical impact of electricity and oil, stating that while the internet transformed commerce, AI will redefine national sovereignty.
- The Three Pillars of Sovereignty
Adani’s vision for a “Sovereign AI” rests on three strategic pillars: Energy, Compute, and Services.
Energy Sovereignty: “AI is written in code, but it runs on electricity,” Adani remarked. He argued that fragile energy systems lead to fragile intelligence systems. He advocated for the co-location of renewable energy clusters with AI data centers, turning India’s green energy expansion into a strategic advantage for high-performance computing.
Compute and Cloud Sovereignty: Drawing a parallel to the naval power of previous centuries, Adani emphasized the need for domestic compute capacity. “We build sovereign compute to secure intelligence routes,” he said, warning that concentrating infrastructure externally creates national fragility. He stressed that India must host critical AI workloads within its own jurisdiction to ensure autonomy.
Services Sovereignty: Reflecting on India’s IT revolution, Adani noted that while India became a services powerhouse, the productivity dividends often accrued elsewhere. He urged that the AI revolution must first serve as a “force multiplier” for Indian citizens—improving agriculture, rural healthcare, and logistics—before becoming a “margin multiplier” for global corporations.
- $250 Billion Integrated Ecosystem
The highlight of the address was the elaboration on the Adani Group’s recent $100 billion commitment—an announcement made earlier this week by Chairman Gautam Adani.
This investment aims to build a 5-gigawatt, $250 billion integrated energy-and-compute ecosystem. Jeet Adani described this as a “decisive shift from consuming AI to creating it,” ensuring that the nation’s AI future is built at a national scale and powered by sustainable energy.
- Modern Nationalism and Guardianship
Closing his speech on a personal and patriotic note, Jeet Adani addressed the responsibility of the younger generation.
“I belong to a generation that did not have to fight for freedom. We received it as a gift,” he said. “Our responsibility is no longer to win freedom. It is to strengthen it, to secure it, and to defend it. This is modern nationalism in its highest form: capability over rhetoric.”
He concluded by stating that India’s rise is not aimed at global dominance, but at stabilization and inclusion. The “AI Century,” he predicted, would carry the distinct imprint of Indian infrastructure, intelligence, and values.
