India has emerged as a “technology powerhouse” that is central to the White House’s global push on artificial intelligence, according to a senior aide to US President Donald Trump, underscoring New Delhi’s growing importance in global technology strategy and AI adoption.
Michael Kratsios, Assistant to the President and Director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, made the remarks in an interview with Fox News after returning from India, where he attended the India AI Impact Summit. He cited India’s large engineering workforce, domestic talent pool, and expanding innovation ecosystem as key strengths positioning the country at the centre of emerging AI-driven transformations.
Kratsios said India produces an exceptional number of engineers and is increasingly building strong technology products and applications, reinforcing its role as a critical partner in the United States’ broader vision of what he described as “real AI sovereignty” among friendly nations. He placed India firmly within Washington’s strategy to expand AI capabilities across partner countries rather than concentrating technological power in a few regions.
He warned that the gap in AI adoption between developed and developing economies is widening rapidly, describing the current phase as a fundamental inflection point. According to him, countries that fail to prioritise artificial intelligence risk falling behind structurally, particularly in sectors that directly impact citizens. He identified healthcare, education, energy infrastructure, agriculture and public service delivery as areas where AI adoption could yield immediate and tangible benefits.
The US administration, he said, is advancing this agenda through the American AI Exports Program, which aims to provide developing and partner nations with access to advanced US technologies along with financing and deployment support. He argued that countries seeking development support have often faced a binary choice between affordability and technological quality, a gap the programme is intended to address.
Kratsios defined AI sovereignty not as isolation or control, but as the ability of nations to own and deploy advanced technology in ways that serve domestic priorities and long-term national interests. He stressed that the initiative is not targeted against any single competitor, but rather reflects the demand among many countries to integrate leading American AI technologies into their own ecosystems.
On the future trajectory of AI innovation, Kratsios said the next major phase will revolve around intelligent agents capable of coordinating tasks and decision-making processes. He noted that how these agents communicate and interact will require unified global standards to ensure secure and effective interoperability. He said the National Institute of Standards and Technology has already launched efforts to develop such standards.
He acknowledged that financing remains a significant barrier for many emerging economies, pointing to the high costs associated with data centres, semiconductor manufacturing and power generation. To address this, he said the US is mobilising support through agencies such as the US International Development Finance Corporation and the Export Import Bank of the United States.
Kratsios also announced the creation of a US Tech Corps, an initiative modelled on the Peace Corps, but focused on deploying technology professionals to help implement AI solutions in partner countries. He said the programme would seek individuals with technical expertise willing to support AI adoption on the ground.
Highlighting India’s long-standing partnership with the United States in technology sharing, Kratsios noted that major American hyperscalers already operate data centres and research facilities in India. These investments, he said, are deepening India’s integration within the broader American AI technology stack, reinforcing its position as a pivotal hub in the evolving global AI ecosystem.
