India doesn't need its own ChatGPT to become an AI powerhouse, says NetApp CEO

India does not need to build its own version of ChatGPT to become a genuine AI powerhouse — that is the view of the CEO of NetApp, expressed in an interview with CNBC TV18 that is likely to resonate across boardrooms and policy circles.

The argument challenges a strand of Indian tech nationalism that has called for homegrown foundational AI models to compete with American and Chinese counterparts. The NetApp chief's position is that India's competitive advantage lies elsewhere: in deploying AI across its vast economy, building the data infrastructure to support it, and leveraging the country's deep pool of engineering talent.

The perspective is not without precedent. Several technology strategists have noted that building frontier large language models requires billions of dollars in compute costs and years of research — resources that are concentrated in a handful of American and Chinese firms. India, the argument goes, can extract enormous value by being a world-class consumer and customiser of AI rather than a frontier model builder.

The debate has practical consequences for how India allocates its investments in the sector — whether public and private capital flows toward foundational model research or toward AI-enabled services, healthcare, agriculture, and governance applications where Indian companies already show strength.

With India's government actively developing an AI mission and private investment in the sector growing, the NetApp CEO's comments add a notable international voice to a domestic conversation that will shape the country's technology trajectory for years to come.