India Needs Top-Tier AI, Not Hand-Down Versions, Says Intel MD

India and the Global South are equally ambitious in advancing artificial intelligence (AI) across hardware and software layers, according to Santhosh Viswanathan, Vice President and Managing Director (VP & MD) of Intel India.

Speaking at the ongoing AI Impact Summit, Viswanathan emphasized that India does not need "hand-down" versions of the latest AI products but requires AI solutions that are adaptable to societal needs.

“We are an aspirational society. Price is a function of value, not the other way around,” Viswanathan remarked, pointing out that India, like other nations, expects the same level of quality and innovation as the rest of the world. He stressed that while cost-effective alternatives are necessary, they should not compromise on product standards.

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Looking ahead, the future of AI will be more diversified, extending across various functions such as inference, agents, and application-building. Intel’s latest products, including Core Ultra Three, are designed to meet the power and performance demands necessary for advancing frontier models.

Viswanathan also discussed the evolving AI infrastructure needs in India, suggesting that a one-size-fits-all approach, dominated by high-end GPUs, will no longer suffice. Instead, a combination of GPU, CPU, and NPU (neural processing unit) will drive efficiency in AI applications.

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“We have to take an approach that is practical and real for our society,” he concluded, highlighting the government's efforts in building sovereign AI solutions for India’s future.