Google Unveils Key Initiatives To Boost India's AI Capabilities At I/O Connect 2025
'Indian developers are literally writing the next chapter of India's success story, using AI capabilities to build real-world applications that are reaching millions of businesses and people across India and the world,' said Manish Gupta, Senior Director for India and APAC at Google DeepMind.
The company also emphasised its continued commitment to India's developer ecosystem, revealing that the Play and Android platforms contributed ₹4 lakh crore in revenue and generated 35 lakh jobs in 2024. Google further introduced agentic AI tools and optimised templates in Firebase Studio, allowing developers to build and deploy full-stack AI applications more quickly and efficiently.
In a major move for mobile commerce, Google announced expanded access to over 250 million mapped places globally and launched India-specific pricing for Google Maps UI components. Additionally, AI-powered summaries in the Places API will help developers create location-based services tailored specifically for Indian users.
To further India's AI ambitions, Google is collaborating with three India AI Mission startups—Sarvam, Soket AI, and Gnani—on Make-in-India AI models based on Gemma. Sarvam's recent model, 'Sarvam-Translate,' exemplifies this homegrown innovation. In partnership with IIT Bombay's BharatGen, Google is also advancing ASR (Automatic Speech Recognition) and TTS (Text-to-Speech) models for Indic languages.
To support India's thriving game development community, Google launched the 'Google Play x Unity Game Developer Training' program, in collaboration with Unity and GDAI. Targeted at 500 Indian developers initially, the program offers over 30 hours of specialised training across various game development roles.
Highlighting grassroots innovation, the Gen AI Exchange Hackathon encouraged developers to apply their AI skills to real-world challenges. During the event, startups such as Sarvam, InVideo, Glance, and Nykaa showcased impactful solutions built using Google's AI models.
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- Business Standard
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According to United Nations Comtrade data, India's imports from the US were $38.99 billion during 2024. India imported goods worth $3.63 billion from the US in May 2025 alone. At the same time, India exported $81.4 billion worth of goods and services to the US, making it India's largest export destination, particularly for IT services, pharmaceuticals, and engineered goods. What India imports from the US India relies on the US for specific categories: High-end electronics and semiconductors Aircraft and aerospace parts Medical devices Energy products, especially LNG Machinery and precision equipment Professional services and technology consulting These are not bulk imports like oil or gold, but they are critical for India's technology, defence, and infrastructure sectors. Indian tariffs on US imports US goods entering India are already expensive—India has been accused by the US official of applying some of the world's highest tariffs. The average import duty stands at 17 per cent overall, with agricultural products taxed at an average of 39 per cent, and some items like alcohol and walnuts attracting duties as high as 150 per cent and 100 per cent, respectively. Can India replace US imports? The short answer: mostly yes—but with caveats. Here's a sector-by-sector view: Electronics and semiconductors While US firms supply advanced components, China dominates the electronics supply chain, shipping $10.3 billion (OEC data) worth in May 2025 alone. Other alternatives include Vietnam, South Korea, and Japan, which already supply smartphones, displays, and consumer electronics. Aircraft and aerospace US firms, including Boeing and Lockheed Martin, have strong ties with India, especially in defence and civil aviation. But India also sources aircraft and parts from France (Airbus), Russia, and Israel. The US holds a strategic edge here, but not a monopoly. Pharmaceuticals and medical devices While the US provides advanced formulations and devices, India imports APIs (active pharmaceutical ingredients) largely from China, and equipment from Germany, Switzerland, and Singapore. Additionally, India is a net exporter of medicines, limiting dependence. Energy products India buys LNG from the US, but Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Russia, Qatar, and the UAE remain its dominant energy suppliers. The US helps diversify supply, but it is not critical for energy security. Agricultural goods Imports of almonds, apples, and walnuts from the US were once significant, but India diversified during the retaliatory tariff phase (2019–2023), sourcing from Australia, Chile, Canada, and Turkey. These alternatives remain active. Spirits and alcohol US bourbon and whiskey are well-regarded, but Scotch from the UK, Cognac from France, and Japanese whiskies dominate the Indian market. At a 150 per cent tariff, cost is already a bigger barrier than supply. Strategic, not structural, dependence US imports matter more for strategic value than volume. For instance, when it comes to aircraft parts or cloud infrastructure, US firms are not easily replaceable in the short term. But India has cultivated multi-source supply chains across Asia, West Asia, and Europe. In sectors like telecom, India navigates between US and Chinese suppliers, balancing technology performance, cybersecurity, and pricing. European firms like Nokia and Ericsson also offer alternatives. However, India has banned over 200 Chinese apps and restricted tech firms from tenders, making China an unlikely alternative. What's at stake beyond goods While the spotlight is on goods, services dominate India's trade surplus with the US. In FY25, India exported $383.51 billion in services, much of it to the US, where Indian IT firms have their largest client base. Any trade tension that spills into services could affect employment and revenue more than any tariff on physical goods. Bottom line The new US tariffs may not cripple Indian trade flows, but they add friction to a relationship that is increasingly defined by both cooperation and competition. India is not structurally dependent on US imports in most categories, but the US remains crucial in high-tech, defence, and aviation.
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Time of India
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Piaggio's new commuter scooter will have a flavour mix of Italy and India
As Piaggio Vehicles explores getting a foothold in India's commuter scooter segment, Diego Graffi is categorical about what the product ought to be like. 'The new offering should always be combined with the key pillars of Piaggio globally in the two-wheeler space. These are design, lifestyle and heritage. It should be something that gives the customer the flavour of having a product that is designed as per Italian standards but customised for Indian applications,' the Chairman and Managing Director told ET Auto in a recent interview. At present, the company's scooter portfolio consists of the iconic Vespa which is priced comfortably at over ₹1.2 lakh and is part of the niche premium segment. For the more voluminous commuter category which Piaggio is looking at seriously, the product will need to be two-thirds the price in order to attract customers. 'In order to scale up volumes, we have to invest in a space that has the potential to deliver and this is the commuting segment of scooters where volumes are six million units annually. But obviously, to compete in this category, we need to have the right kind of product that customers are seeking,' said Graffi. Pricing challenge Beyond this, it is important to be competitive in terms of price and this is 'definitely' a challenge. 'However, I think we have all the skills, capabilities and experience to do this,' he added. For a company that has tasted success in the mass three-wheeler segment, it is hopeful that the same can be replicated in the scooter space where affordability will play a big role. Removing one wheel and developing a scooter is not a big Graffi 'So we already have that in our DNA in India. So removing one wheel and developing a scooter is not a big deal. Of course, it is a challenge but it is not impossible,' reiterated Graffi. Even while plans are still at the conceptualising phase, things are proceeding 'very fast'. In the process, there will be an all-new brand emerging from the Piaggio stable in India. The CMD ruled out extension of the Vespa brand to this new commuter scooter reiterating, 'No, no, no. Vespa is Vespa. You cannot touch it. This product will be altogether another segment and another customer base.' On the retail side, there is every likelihood of using the current two-wheeler network that caters to Vespa at least in Tier 1 cities but more dealers need to be roped in for smaller towns where the market for mass scooters truly resides in. New geography 'The dealer network has to be focused to sell this kind of product especially in rural, Tier 2 and 3 regions. This product is more a commuter — I don't want to use the word mass — and we have to explore areas where we are not present at all. So it is all together a new geography that we are talking about,' elaborated Graffi. The company's long experience with three-wheelers in India means that there is a fair degree of market intelligence when it comes to smaller cities and towns. However, a scooter is an all-new animal and will require specialised skills in marketing and after-sales service to make things work well. Luckily, we have a good vendor base already that we can use for the new Graffi Likewise, the pricing of the product needs to hit the sweet spot and this is where Piaggio's suppliers will have a key role to play. 'Luckily, we have a good vendor base already that we can use for the new scooter,' he said. Plans are already underway to send shipments overseas to Africa, Turkey and many other markets across the globe. When this new product becomes a reality, it will mark the wheel coming full circle for Piaggio in India. Old-timers will recall the heady days of the 1980s and '90s when the Italian automaker had an alliance with the Kanpur-based LML where its mass scooters were the closest rival models to Bajaj Auto's range of the Chetak, Super etc. India comeback story When LML and Piaggio split eventually, the latter decided to get into the cargo three-wheeler space as part of its second innings for India. It was a masterstroke because this was a larger unexplored arena where the chance of growth were stronger. Piaggio soon became a familiar brand here and then gradually stepped into the more glamorous space of scooters and motorcycles with Vespa and Aprilia. Also read:Piaggio plans larger scooter portfolio for India beyond Vespa The group's global CEO, Michele Colaninno has been a keen advocate of the India growth story and has been pushing for a bigger role here in terms of new products and making the country a global hub for vehicles and components. Graffi said the CEO was very 'forward thinking' and saw India as a great opportunity. 'He has a particular appreciation for India and always perceives that we could do better looking at the potential here,' he added. Colaninno was in India a little over three months ago where he got around to to see the market. He visits the country at least every year and each time he sees it, there is something new in terms of technology or the changing face of vehicles on the road that grabs his eye. From his point of view, India remains a fast growing market that hold tremendous potential for companies like Piaggio. Rebooting scooter template It was a little over a year ago when Colaninno had spoken of redefining the company's scooter template in India by way of an entry into the commuter space. 'The mistake we have done in the past is more on the scooter side, where we have not been able to face the competition of low-cost vehicles,' he had said. While making clear that the company would continue to be in the high/premium end with Vespa and Aprilia models, he said this perhaps was not enough in terms of the overall scooter strategy. 'But at the same time, I think we have to be ready and able, more able than ready to fill the gap, let's say, with the competition that we have on scooters,' said Colaninno. There was a specific reference to competitors who have had a good run in the mass scooter space where numbers continue to grow at a brisk pace. 'If you take the Honda Activa, if you take TVS, they produce millions and millions of vehicles,' he pointed out. We will take the right decisions to be ready and enter the big volume market there. Not with the Vespa, not with the Colaninno The Piaggio Group CEO was, however quick to add that such a comparison would not be apt. 'You cannot compare us with Honda, obviously, which has been there in the two-wheeler market for years in India. But I think that we will take the right decisions to be ready and enter the big volume market there. Not with the Vespa, not with the bike.' New strategy for India It is keeping this objective in mind that Piaggio believes the time has come to take a serious relook at its scooter business model for India. 'I think that we have to put in place a new strategy for the two-wheeler market in India. It is true that it is moving towards a high level of consumer business, but some mistakes have been done over there, especially on two-wheels,' said Colaninno. The Italian automaker is clear that this does not mean that the focus on premium models will be diluted. As he made clear, the company is satisfied with the response to the Aprilia RS 457 medium displacement bike that was launched at a price of over ₹4 lakh. 'The actual management — the new management team — is just people that we have decided to put in place on the R&D. But that does not mean that we will exit the premium market, because India is growing on GDP per capita and it will grow slowly, but we are ready to catch the growth. Numbers are not millions, but with the RS 457, we are very satisfied,' said Colaninno.
