Microsoft Executive Vice President of Core AI Jay Parikh said India must invest across AI infrastructure, startups, and enterprises to strengthen its ecosystem [1].
This strategy is intended to ensure that India does not merely consume AI technology but actively builds the foundation for a sustainable growth story. By diversifying investment across the entire AI stack, the country can maintain its momentum as a global technology hub.
Speaking in an interview with CNBC TV18, Parikh compared the potential of artificial intelligence to the success of the Unified Payments Interface [1]. He said, "UPI was the foundation, AI could be the next layer" [2].
Parikh said that the current landscape shows a shift in how Indian entrepreneurs approach the market. He said that India-based founders are building AI for global customers [3]. This shift indicates that local innovation is no longer limited to domestic needs but is competitive on a worldwide scale.
To achieve this global reach, Parikh said that continued funding is essential. He said that the ecosystem requires a balanced approach where infrastructure supports the needs of both small-scale startups and large-scale enterprises [1].
Without this comprehensive investment, the country risks a gap between its ambitious AI goals and the actual technical capacity to execute them. Parikh said that the synergy between these three pillars—infrastructure, startups, and enterprises—will define the next phase of India's digital evolution [1].
“UPI was the foundation, AI could be the next layer.”
The comparison of AI to UPI suggests that Microsoft views AI as a systemic utility rather than just a set of tools. If India can replicate the 'public digital infrastructure' model used for payments, it could democratize AI access for millions of citizens and businesses, positioning the country as a primary exporter of AI services rather than just a provider of technical talent.
