Qualcomm announced on Wednesday that it will put up to $150 million into a fund focused on investing in artificial intelligence startups based in India. The commitment was presented alongside comments from Qualcomm’s chief executive at the India AI Impact Summit in New Delhi, where he restated the company’s intention to back AI companies in the country.
The company’s pledge comes at a time when India is described as one of the largest global markets for AI by user count. The article notes that major AI players have been actively pursuing Indian users, including through lower-cost subscription options designed to attract local adoption.
Qualcomm has a substantial operational footprint in India, employing in excess of 20,000 people distributed across three cities. The firm’s hardware has seen increased demand in recent years as the rise of AI workloads boosted the need for advanced processors and related technologies.
Executives framed the fund as part of a broader push to engage with India’s AI ecosystem. The announcement at the New Delhi summit reiterated existing plans by Qualcomm management to invest in local AI companies, aligning corporate capital deployment with market opportunity in the region.
While the company did not provide additional detail in the announcement about the fund’s investment criteria, timeline or specific targets, the public commitment signals a targeted allocation of resources toward AI ventures operating in India. Qualcomm’s recent experience as a supplier to AI-driven workloads was highlighted as background to the decision, describing how elevated demand for advanced processors over the past three years has benefited the chipmaker.
The move links Qualcomm’s corporate strategy to an expanding addressable market in India, reflecting both the company’s existing presence in the country and the broader commercial momentum behind AI technologies. The announcement was made in the context of the CEO’s participation at the India AI Impact Summit, where the company reiterated its interest in supporting local AI innovation.
Note on available information: The announcement specifies the top-line commitment amount and the geographic focus but does not supply further specifics about fund structure, portfolio targets, or expected timetable for deployments.