AI: India's 'Next Oil' for Industrial Revolution, Says AMD Expert
AMD's Sunil Pal declared AI an inflection point, positioning data as India's 'next oil' to lead the 'fourth industrial revolution'. Ahead of the India AI Impact Summit, he noted India's strengths in talent and digital infrastructure, but cautioned that robust energy and data center infrastructure are vital to capitalize on AI's potential. Pal emphasized AI as a revenue enabler, urging India to invest long-term to secure its place in the rapidly evolving global AI landscape.
Sunil Pal, Head of AI GPU Allocation at AMD, emphasizes that artificial intelligence is ushering in a 'fourth industrial revolution', urging India to recognize data as its 'next oil' to lead this global transformation. Speaking ahead of the India AI Impact Summit, Pal projects the AI market to reach $1.7 trillion by 2031 and highlights India's significant advantages, including a vast AI and digital engineering talent pool, a robust global digital backbone, and a strategic shift from services to innovation. He notes the country's potential in AI research, semiconductor design, and global capability centers, boosted by its massive population. However, Pal cautioned that India's ability to convert this potential into leadership hinges on robust infrastructure, specifically reliable and high-quality electricity for data centers, which he identifies as a key bottleneck. He stressed the need for long-term governmental investment in diverse energy sources and streamlined processes for land acquisition and regulatory approvals. Globally, while the US currently leads, China is rapidly advancing, and other nations are also moving swiftly. Pal views AI not just as a cost-cutting tool but as a powerful revenue enabler through hyper-personalization and predictive insights, with transformative potential in sectors like healthcare. He likened AI's current stage to the early days of the steam engine or the internet, stressing that nations must adopt quickly to avoid being left behind. The summit and India's push into semiconductors and digital infrastructure are deemed crucial steps for leveraging data into long-term economic strength.
