India's Digital Infrastructure Is a 'Game-Changer': Databricks CEO
- Databricks CEO Ali Ghodsi calls India's digital transformation a 'game-changer', placing it ahead of most countries and boosting AI innovation.
- Databricks is heavily investing in India, especially in Bangalore, citing a strong talent pool and a reverse trend in migration among top Indian tech graduates.
- The company is aggressively expanding in Asia, including India, Japan, and South Korea, due to fewer data regulations and immense market diversity.
India’s robust digital infrastructure development has positioned the country ahead of most global counterparts, according to Databricks CEO and Co-founder Ali Ghodsi. Speaking at the Databricks Data + AI Summit 2025, Ghodsi lauded India’s decade-long digital transformation, calling it a 'game-changer' that has unlocked unparalleled opportunities in data and AI innovation.
“What has happened in the last decade, where they've built a lot of digital infrastructure in India, is a game-changer”, Ghodsi said in response to a question from PTI. “We don’t have that even here, in other countries. India is now ahead on digital infrastructure compared to most other countries in the world”. He emphasized that such development significantly simplifies innovation, particularly in fields like artificial intelligence and data analytics.
Ghodsi noted that while several regions are grappling with recessionary pressures, India is 'on the upswing'. The sentiment, he added, was echoed by the growing momentum in strategic business shifts globally, with India emerging as a central hub for technological advancement and investment.
Highlighting Databricks’ growing presence in India, Ghodsi said the company is excited to collaborate with both emerging AI startups and established conglomerates. “We’re partnering with new companies in AI, as well as long-standing giants like the Tatas. It’s a gigantic market, and with the strategic pivots happening globally, India is becoming increasingly important”, he said.
“There just seem to be opportunities in India, and it seems there are no troubles on the horizon. Fingers crossed”, he added.
Addressing a question on immigration and talent acquisition in the U.S., Ghodsi reflected on shifting trends. Having lived in nine countries, he remarked, “I still think this [United States] is one of the best countries for immigrants to come to, even today”. However, he noted a reversal in the migration trend among Indian students and professionals.
“Twenty to thirty years ago, it was common for an IIT topper to move to the U.S. for better opportunities. That has changed”, Ghodsi said. “Now, staying in India especially in Bangalore offers high-paying jobs, family, and culture. Why move to the United States? That trend has already been happening for years”.
This evolution in career aspirations has prompted Databricks to intensify its hiring efforts in India. “We’re doubling down on Bangalore”, Ghodsi revealed. “We hired a huge engineering team. We target the IITs”. He cited an instance where four open positions in Bangalore received 700 applications from IIT graduates, calling it a 'great market' for talent acquisition.
Beyond India, Ghodsi pointed to Asia as a whole as a major growth frontier for Databricks. The company is actively investing in countries like South Korea and Japan, aiming to capitalize on the region’s rapid digital adoption and relatively lighter regulatory frameworks around data and AI.
“We’re also investing a lot in India, which is doing really, really great. Asia, in general, is a big market opportunity, and we’re investing ahead of the game there”, Ghodsi said. He explained that the absence of stringent regulations as seen in Europe and the U.S. provides a fertile environment for data and AI innovation in Asia.
“For data and AI geeks like us, it’s amazing”, Ghodsi remarked. He added that Asia remains a priority in Databricks’ financial planning, urging his teams to be even more aggressive in their regional strategies.
“More in India, more in Korea, more in Japan every year. That is our strategy, and we’re going to continue doing that. It’s growing very fast”, he said. Ghodsi also noted Asia’s diversity compared to more homogeneous markets like Europe. “It’s a much more diverse and bigger continent, with more people”, he concluded.
Databricks, headquartered in San Francisco, is a global leader in data and AI, offering unified platforms for data engineering, machine learning, and analytics. The company recently announced a $100 million investment in global data and AI education aimed at bridging the skills gap in the sector and preparing the next generation of engineers, analysts, and scientists.
The Databricks Data + AI Summit 2025 brings together thousands of practitioners, leaders, and visionaries from over 160 countries to discuss the future of data and AI technologies and their applications across industries.
