New Delhi, July 23 -- Google has announced several new initiatives to support India's growing enterprise tech and AI development landscape during its Google I/O Connect event in Bengaluru.
The company has enabled local processing for its Gemini 2.5 Flash model in India. This move aims to enhance responsiveness and speed for developers, especially those working in sectors where data localization and low-latency performance are critical, such as healthcare, finance, and public services.
To assist in the development of Indian AI models, Google is collaborating with three startups selected by the India AI Mission, Sarvam, Soket AI, and Gnani. These companies are building new AI models using Google's open-source Gemma platform. Additionally, Google is working with BharatGen at IIT Bombay to develop speech recognition and text-to-speech technologies for Indian languages.
The company also introduced updates to its Firebase Studio platform. These include new AI templates, agentic tools, and backend integration features designed to streamline app development. Developers can now build and deploy applications more efficiently with a low barrier to entry.
To support India's game development sector, Google announced a new training initiative in partnership with Unity. The program will provide free online training to 500 Indian developers. It includes tracks for programmers, artists, and game designers, and is offered in collaboration with the Game Developer Association of India.
Google also shared economic data related to its platforms. According to third-party research, the Google Play and Android ecosystem generated Rs 4 lakh crore in revenue in 2024 and supported over 3.5 million jobs in India. The company noted the role of Android in expanding digital and AI access in the country, especially among first-time internet users.
Dr. Manish Gupta, Senior Director for India and APAC at Google DeepMind, said, "Indian developers are literally writing the next chapter of India's success story, using AI capabilities to build real-world applications that are reaching millions of businesses and people across India and the world."
Preeti Lobana, Country Manager, Google India, stated, "There's a buzz about the 'India Opportunity' driven by an ambitious national vision. Google is deeply committed to leveraging this unique foundation. India's developers are shaping how the world will use AI, and we're proud to stand with them. We're giving India the best tools, the most open platforms, and the strongest support to build boldly for the world, fostering a profound 'AI Productivity Leap' across businesses and startups."
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from TechCircle.