India and Japan have unveiled a comprehensive roadmap to strengthen bilateral cooperation in artificial intelligence (AI), positioning the two countries as strategic partners in developing a safe, secure and innovation-driven AI ecosystem. The announcement follows discussions between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Japanese Prime Minister Takaichi Sanae, who described AI as an "era-defining general-purpose technology" reshaping economies, industries, governance and global security.

The leaders agreed to expand collaboration under the Japan-India AI Cooperation Initiative (JAI) through regular AI Strategic Dialogues, focusing on three key pillars: international AI governance and cybersecurity, AI infrastructure and model development, and inclusive AI adoption. The partnership aims to promote resilient AI supply chains, responsible innovation and risk-balanced governance while supporting growth across the Indo-Pacific and the Global South.

As part of the initiative, India and Japan will strengthen cooperation on AI-ready digital infrastructure, including data centres, GPUs and semiconductors, while jointly assessing opportunities and vulnerabilities across the AI technology stack. The two nations also pledged to support multilingual, open-source and domain-specific AI models through collaborations between academia and industry. New agreements include partnerships involving the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, BharatGen Technology Foundation, the National Institute of Informatics (NII/ROIS), Sarvam and Preferred Networks, as well as cooperation between IndiaAI and Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI).

Talent development forms another cornerstone of the partnership. Japan reaffirmed its goal of welcoming 500 highly skilled Indian AI professionals by 2030 through research collaborations, internships and industry partnerships. Both countries also committed to advancing AI for scientific discovery, workforce upskilling and public-sector innovation while encouraging startups, corporations and research institutions to co-develop scalable AI solutions. The leaders further endorsed the vision of "AI for All" and welcomed Japan's decision to host a future AI Summit, reinforcing their shared commitment to inclusive and responsible AI development.