Google is going to invest up to $10 billion in India over the next five to seven years, CEO Sundar Pichai announced today.
The news came as part of Google’s annual Google for India event in which the search giant makes announcements specific to that market. This year’s headline is the launch of the Google for India Digitization Fund, which will distribute the $10 billion in investments of the next near-decade.
Story of #DigitalIndia is that of development, empowerment & inclusion. Delighted that @Google will invest $10 billion in India. Under the leadership of PM @narendramodi we are moving towards a $1 trillion digital economy & for that it is a big boost. Thank you @sundarpichai https://t.co/VgkV9DTG3q
— Ravi Shankar Prasad (@rsprasad) July 13, 2020
Pichai said that the fund will make money available for equity investment in local tech businesses, partnerships and infrastructure spending.
They will be focused around four broad categories, including language-services (India has 22 officially-recognized local languages as well as English), helping Indian businesses embrace digitization, and tailoring products to suit India’s specific needs. The fourth involves the use of AI for “social good” in areas like “health, education and agriculture.”
Google for India has been a yearly event in the country since 2015, where the company often announces initiatives designed for the subcontinent.
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