After a meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the sidelines of the India AI Impact Summit 2026, Google CEO Sundar Pichai in his speech announced the India-America Connect Initiative – a major new project aimed at strengthening AI connectivity between India, the United States, and multiple locations across the southern hemisphere through fresh sub-sea cable routes.
Speaking at the event in Delhi, Pichai emphasised the need to pair infrastructure development with human capital investment. “Today, we are announcing the India-America Connect Initiative, which will deliver new sub-sea cable routes to increase AI connectivity between India and the US and multiple locations across the southern hemisphere,” he said.
Pichai added that the connectivity push must be matched with skilling efforts to help Indians fully capitalise on the opportunities. “For the opportunities this initiative creates, we should also invest in skilling, which is why we are announcing our most ambitious skilling programs here. This includes a new Google AI Professional Certificate program to master AI in their work,” he stated.
New sub-sea cables to boost global AI connectivity
The announcement comes as Pichai is in India to attend the ongoing India AI Impact Summit 2026, where he is scheduled to deliver the keynote address on February 20. The new sub-sea cables are expected to significantly enhance data transfer speeds and capacity, enabling faster, more reliable AI applications across critical sectors such as healthcare, education, agriculture, and enterprise services.
Google has not yet disclosed specific timelines or investment details for the cable project, but industry observers see it as a strategic move to deepen Indo-US tech ties and position India as a global AI connectivity hub.
Expanded skilling push to prepare workforce for AI era
The new Google AI Professional Certificate is designed to equip professionals and students with practical AI skills for real-world applications. This builds on Google’s existing training programmes in India, where the company has already trained millions through platforms like Google Career Certificates.
The dual focus on infrastructure and skilling reflects Google’s long-term commitment to India, where the company operates one of its largest engineering centres outside the US and continues to invest heavily in cloud, AI, and digital education.