CEO Pichai says Google will invest $10B in India

Google said it plans to spend $10 billion over the next five to seven years to help accelerate the adoption of digital technologies in India.

Sundar Pichai, who was born in the country and is now chief executive officer of parent Alphabet Inc., made the announcement at the annual Google for India event via video conference. He said the outbreak of the coronavirus has made clear the importance of technology for conducting business and for connecting with friends and family.

“This is a reflection of our confidence in the future of India and its digital economy,” he said of the India Digitization Fund.

The $10 billion will be invested in partnerships, operations, infrastructure, the digital ecosystem and equity investments. Google said the effort will focus on several key areas:

Enabling affordable access and information for every Indian in their own language, including Hindi, Tamil and Punjabi

Building new products and services that are relevant to India’s unique needs

Empowering businesses as they continue or embark on their digital transformation

Leveraging technology and artificial intelligence for social good, in areas like health, education, and agriculture

Google, founded in 1998 in Silicon Valley, entered India six years later with offices in Bangalore and Hyderabad. Its focus at the time was search services to help people find relevant information on everything from Bollywood news to cricket scores, Pichai said.

The India business has since grown into one of the company’s most important. The country now has more than 500 million internet users, second only to China, with growth that has drawn all the American technology giants.