Telangana and Andhra Pradesh to play a critical role in driving AI-led growth for India

Tech Leaders at Prosus roundtable discussing MeitY’s “AI for All” white paper  affirm their collective belief in how the twin states’ tech ecosystem can accelerate productivity and inclusive growth across critical sectors

As Artificial Intelligence moves from experimentation to real-world deployment, Prosus hosted a roundtable to examine how Andhra Pradesh and Telangana can accelerate this momentum. Industry and public policy leaders joined the discussion on the white paper titled "AI for ALL: Catalysing Jobs, Growth, and Opportunity", deliberating on how to advance AI adoption across agriculture, healthcare, manufacturing, financial services and education. "AI for ALL: Catalysing Jobs, Growth, and Opportunity" white paper has been developed by Prosus in collaboration with the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), Government of India, and Boston Consulting Group (BCG). The white paper provides a practical framework for embedding AI into institutions and critical sectors to improve productivity, expand economic opportunity and strengthen public service delivery on a scale.

The Hyderabad roundtable was attended by Sehraj Singh, Managing Director - India and VP - Global Corporate Affairs, Prosus & Naspers Group; Mr. Rentala Chandrashekhar, Former Secretary, Government of India (IT & Telecom), along with Prof. Ramesh Loganathan, IIIT Hyderabad,  Santhoshi Buddhiraju, CEO, Autocracy Machinery and Purva Bhandari, Co-founder, Deccan AI, who discussed how the tech ecosystem in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh can translate India's AI ambitions into measurable economic and societal outcomes.

India today accounts for nearly 16% of the world's AI talent and is expected to contribute almost 20% of incremental global economic growth over the next fifteen years; the country's AI leadership will ultimately depend on its ability to execute at scale. Telangana and Andhra Pradesh represent a unique opportunity to demonstrate how regional ecosystems can unlock and accelerate AI adoption across critical sectors, creating scalable models for  replication across the country. Together, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh represent one of India's most dynamic AI opportunity regions, bringing together globally recognised technology capabilities, thriving innovation ecosystems, advanced manufacturing, strong research institutions and ambitious digital transformation agendas. From Telangana's leadership in technology, Global Capability Centres (GCCs), life sciences and startup innovation to Andhra Pradesh's growing momentum in AI-enabled governance, agriculture, manufacturing and public service delivery, the region is demonstrating how AI can move beyond experimentation to create measurable economic value and improve citizen outcomes.

The roundtable highlighted how AI is already driving transformation across both states. In agriculture, initiatives such as Telangana's Saagu Baagu, alongside Andhra Pradesh's AI-enabled crop advisories, satellite-based crop monitoring and digital agriculture platforms, are helping improve farm productivity, resilience and farmer incomes. AI-powered diagnostics, digital health infrastructure, MedTech innovation and intelligent screening programmes are expanding access to quality care through AI-powered innovations in healthcare. AI-enabled learning, personalised tutoring and technology-driven classroom transformation is bringing in the next wave of Edtech innovation, while manufacturing is embracing Industry 5.0, semiconductors, digital twins and AI-powered industrial innovation to enhance productivity, strengthen supply chains and position the region as a catalyst for India's next wave of industrial growth.

Speaking at the event, Sehraj Singh, Managing Director - India and VP - Global Corporate Affairs, Prosus & Naspers Group, said, "India's AI opportunity will ultimately be defined by how effectively we deploy AI across sectors that impact millions of lives every day. Telangana and Andhra Pradesh together illustrate the breadth of this opportunity combining world-class technology capabilities, thriving startup and research ecosystems, growing manufacturing ambitions and large-scale public sector innovation. From AI-enabled agriculture and healthcare to education, financial services and manufacturing, the region offers valuable lessons on how AI can translate into higher productivity, stronger public services and more inclusive economic growth. Through conversations like these, we hope to catalyse practical collaborations that accelerate AI adoption across both states while creating scalable models that can benefit the rest of India."

Mr. Rentala Chandrashekhar, Former Secretary, Government of India (IT & Telecom) and Former President, NASSCOM, said, "The conversation around AI has moved beyond technology adoption to institution building and execution at scale. Telangana and Andhra Pradesh demonstrate how different regional strengths, from digital innovation, Global Capability Centres and research institutions to agriculture, manufacturing, healthcare and education can together create a powerful AI ecosystem. The opportunity now is to responsibly scale these successes, strengthen productivity, prepare the workforce for the future and ensure that AI delivers tangible economic and societal benefits for citizens across India. "

The roundtable is a  part of Prosus's ongoing initiative to foster dialogue among policymakers, industry leaders, researchers and innovators on harnessing Artificial Intelligence as a catalyst for inclusive growth, workforce transformation and India’s long-term economic competitiveness.