Gandhinagar: Following his meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Sundar Pichai, the CEO of Google, announced that the company will establish its global fintech operation centre in GIFT City of Gujarat. Pichai reiterated Google’s commitment to investing in India through the USD 10 billion India Digitization Fund.

Expressing his appreciation for the progress made by India, particularly in terms of Digital India and economic opportunities, Pichai stated, “It was an honor to meet PM Modi during the historic visit to the US. I met the prime minister in December, and we continued our conversation today. We shared with the Prime Minister that Google is investing $10 billion in India’s digitization fund.”

Pichai highlighted the opening of the global fintech operation center in GIFT City, Gujarat, stating, “We are excited today that we are announcing the opening of our global fintech operation center in GIFT City, Gujarat. It will solidify India’s fintech leadership, thanks to UPI and Aadhaar. And we are going to build on that foundation and take it globally.”

He emphasized that the investment includes support for companies working on artificial intelligence, including initiatives like the 100-language project and expanding the presence of bots in various Indian languages. Pichai acknowledged Prime Minister Modi’s visionary approach to Digital India, which he believes serves as a blueprint for other countries.

Pichai also remarked, “PM’s vision for Digital India was way ahead of his time. I now see it as a blueprint for other countries. And the follow-through on the scaling up of India’s digital stake is a model for other countries. It will be something important in the G20 as well, which is obviously happening in India.”

The Ministry of External Affairs tweeted that Prime Minister Modi invited Pichai to explore further collaborations in artificial intelligence, fintech, cybersecurity products and services, as well as mobile device manufacturing in India. They also discussed partnerships between Google and academic institutions in India to promote research and development and skill enhancement.

Commenting on the announcement MD & Group CEO of GIFT City Mr Tapan Ray said, “Google’s decision to establish its global fintech operations center in GIFT City is a testament to India’s growing prominence in the fintech landscape. The strategic announcement made during Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi’s US visit by Google CEO Sundar Pichai is a win-win proposition. It will go a long way in realizing our PM’s vision of making GIFT City a truly global fintech hub. We look forward to hosting Google at GIFT City.”

During Prime Minister Modi’s visit to the US from June 21 to June 24, he engaged with several prominent CEOs, including Sundar Pichai, Satya Nadella from Microsoft, Tim Cook from Apple, Sam Altman from OpenAI, and Lisa Su from AMD. DeshGujarat