Satya Nadella backs Seattle-India tech ties at Ideas4India AI forum

Satya Nadella joined Indian-origin technology leaders at Seattle's Ideas4India forum to discuss AI and innovation. The meeting underlined rising India-US collaboration across strategic technologies and big investments in India.Stock photo used for illustrationMicrosoft Chairman and CEO Satya Nadella praised Seattle’s growing technology community and its deepening links with India at a special forum that brought together leading Indian-origin technology executives from sectors such as AI, quantum computing and enterprise software. The event was organised by the Consulate General of India in Seattle and focused on ways to strengthen the India-US technology partnership.The forum, titled ‘Ideas4India: Indian American Tech CEOs Forum | Unlocking the Tech Dividend’, was held on Thursday at the consulate premises as a follow-up to the India AI Impact Summit held in New Delhi in February. More than 40 Indian-origin CEOs and CTOs took part, with discussions centred on innovation, talent and opportunities linked to India’s AI journey and wider technology collaboration with the US.Nadella was the guest of honour at the event organised under the leadership of Consul General Prakash Gupta. According to a consulate press statement, Nadella said he was proud to have seen the Seattle technology community grow over nearly 35 years and was pleased to see it building and strengthening its relationship with India. He also described artificial intelligence as a general-purpose technology whose benefits would depend on its wide spread across countries, communities and sectors.India’s Ambassador to the US, Vinay Kwatra, welcomed what the statement described as the strong desire among Indian-origin tech CEOs and other participants to deepen the India-US technology partnership. Kwatra also reaffirmed India’s commitment to working with all relevant stakeholders so that its AI Mission remains anchored in inclusivity, openness, sovereignty, democratised access, safety and trust. The special forum brought together Indian-origin technology CEOs, several of whom have spent more than three decades working at the frontiers of AI, quantum computing, semiconductors, cloud infrastructure, aerospace and enterprise software. Participants included executives from Microsoft, Amazon, Boeing, OpenAI, Anthropic, Intel, Veeam Software, Helion, Rhythms AI, Zenoti, Anicca Data, SeekOut, Stanley and other major technology companies in the Pacific Northwest. Ajay Bhatt, inventor of the USB-C drive and formerly with Intel, also took part in the discussions.In a post on X, the Seattle Consulate said: “IDEAS4INDIA: Celebrating the Tech Titans of Seattle! Satya Nadella, Chairman and CEO of Microsoft, along with Ambassador Vinay Kwatra, engaged with leading Indian-American tech CEOs, founders and innovators at the 1st IDEAS4INDIA: Unlocking the Tech Dividend Forum in Seattle. Seattle’s foremost technology leaders shared ideas and perspectives on innovation, talent and opportunities that can contribute to India’s AI journey and strengthen India-US Tech partnership.” The consulate described the forum as a first-of-its-kind gathering of Indian-American technology leaders in Seattle. It said the platform is expected to continue helping strengthen the India-US technology partnership, including under the India-US TRUST Initiative, or Transforming the Relationship Utilising Strategic Technology. Under this initiative, both countries are working to connect their innovation ecosystems and expand collaboration, including co-development and co-production, in artificial intelligence, quantum, semiconductors, space, telecom and biotechnology.During an interactive session, technology executives shared ideas and suggestions on strengthening the partnership between India and the US. The discussions covered AI infrastructure, data centres, semiconductor design and manufacturing, quantum research collaboration, talent and skilling, aerospace and advanced manufacturing. The event also highlighted the two-way nature of the technology relationship, noting that several companies represented at the forum already have significant engineering, research and business operations in India.The consulate said several American technology giants are optimistic about opportunities in India and have announced major investments to expand their presence in the country. Microsoft has announced an investment of USD 17.5 billion in India over four years from 2026 to 2029, which it described as its largest ever in Asia, to expand cloud and AI infrastructure, skilling and operations. Amazon has announced a total investment of USD 48 billion between 2026 and 2030, including expansion of AWS data centre capacity in Mumbai and Hyderabad. Retail giant Costco is also setting up its first Global Capability Centre in Hyderabad, the consulate said.The forum began with a minute’s silence in memory of two Indian-origin technology leaders from Seattle who recently died. Icertis co-founder and chief executive officer Samir Bodas, and Madrona Venture Group managing director and former Microsoft corporate vice president S. Somasegar, were remembered for their role in expanding Seattle’s technology ecosystem and supporting Indian-origin start-ups. Overall, the event brought together senior industry voices to discuss how Seattle’s technology strengths and India’s growing digital ambitions can work together more closely.With PTI Inputs- EndsPublished By: India Today Web Desk Published On: Sep 18, 2026 09:20 IST