Microsoft Chairman and CEO Satya Nadella praised Seattle’s expanding technology ecosystem and its increasingly close links with India at a forum that brought together more than 40 Indian-origin technology executives from fields including artificial intelligence, quantum computing and enterprise software.

Organised by the Consulate General of India in Seattle, the ‘Ideas4India: Indian American Tech CEOs Forum | Unlocking the Tech Dividend’ focused on strengthening technology cooperation between India and the US. The forum, held on Thursday at the consulate, followed the India AI Impact Summit held in New Delhi in February.

Nadella Highlights Seattle-India Connection

Nadella attended the event as the guest of honour under the leadership of Consul General Prakash Gupta. According to a statement issued by the Indian consulate, he said he was proud to have witnessed the growth of Seattle’s technology community over nearly 35 years.

Nadella also expressed his appreciation for the technology community’s growing relationship with India. He described artificial intelligence as a general-purpose technology and said its benefits would depend on its widespread adoption across countries, communities and sectors.

India’s Ambassador to the US, Vinay Kwatra, welcomed what the consulate described as the strong interest among Indian-origin technology CEOs and other participants in taking the India-US technology relationship forward.

Kwatra also reaffirmed India’s commitment to working with stakeholders to ensure that its AI Mission remains rooted in inclusivity, openness, sovereignty, democratised access, safety and trust.

AI, Quantum Computing And Semiconductors In Focus

The forum brought together Indian-origin executives with decades of experience across some of the technology sector’s most advanced areas, including AI, quantum computing, semiconductors, cloud infrastructure, aerospace and enterprise software.

Participants included executives from Microsoft, Amazon, Boeing, OpenAI, Anthropic, Intel, Veeam Software, Helion, Rhythms AI, Zenoti, Anicca Data, SeekOut and Stanley, among other major technology companies operating in the Pacific Northwest.

Ajay Bhatt, inventor of the USB-C drive and a former Intel executive, also participated in the discussions.

In a post on X, the Seattle Consulate said: “IDEAS4INDIA: Celebrating the Tech Titans of Seattle! Satya Nadella, Chairman and CEO of Microsoft, along with Ambassador Vinay Kwatra, engaged with leading Indian-American tech CEOs, founders and innovators at the 1st IDEAS4INDIA: Unlocking the Tech Dividend Forum in Seattle. Seattle’s foremost technology leaders shared ideas and perspectives on innovation, talent and opportunities that can contribute to India’s AI journey and strengthen India-US Tech partnership.”

Technology Cooperation Under India-US TRUST

The consulate described the gathering as a first-of-its-kind forum bringing together Indian-American technology leaders in Seattle. It said the platform would continue to support efforts to deepen the India-US technology partnership.

The engagement also comes under the India-US TRUST Initiative, or Transforming the Relationship Utilising Strategic Technology. Under the initiative, India and the US are working to connect their innovation ecosystems and expand cooperation in areas including artificial intelligence, quantum technology, semiconductors, space, telecommunications and biotechnology.

During an interactive session, technology executives shared suggestions on strengthening the bilateral technology partnership. Discussions covered AI infrastructure, data centres, semiconductor design and manufacturing, quantum research, talent and skilling, aerospace and advanced manufacturing.

The forum also highlighted the two-way nature of the technology relationship, with several participating companies already maintaining significant engineering, research and business operations in India.

Microsoft, Amazon Expand India Investments

The consulate highlighted growing interest among major American technology companies in expanding their operations and investments in India.

Microsoft has announced an investment of USD 17.5 billion in India over four years from 2026 to 2029, which it described as its largest investment in Asia. The investment is aimed at expanding cloud and AI infrastructure, skilling and operations.

Amazon has announced a total investment of USD 48 billion in India between 2026 and 2030, including an expansion of AWS data centre capacity in Mumbai and Hyderabad.

Retail giant Costco is also establishing its first Global Capability Centre in Hyderabad, according to the consulate.

Seattle Tech Community Remembers Two Leaders

The forum began with a minute’s silence to honour two Indian-origin technology leaders from Seattle who recently died.

Icertis co-founder and chief executive officer Samir Bodas and Madrona Venture Group managing director and former Microsoft corporate vice president S. Somasegar were remembered for their contributions to Seattle’s technology ecosystem and their support for Indian-origin start-ups.

The gathering brought together senior technology executives to discuss how Seattle’s established technology capabilities and India’s expanding digital ambitions could be connected through deeper cooperation in innovation, talent, infrastructure and emerging technologies.

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