Industry leaders at the World Economic Forum's Annual Meeting of the New Champions — commonly known as Summer Davos — said on Wednesday, 24 June that AI-powered technologies and coordinated collective action can accelerate India's sustainable development and modernise critical infrastructure. The meeting is being held in Dalian, China.

India's Green Energy Potential

Jorgen Sandstrom, Head of the Transforming Industrial Ecosystem Programme at the World Economic Forum (WEF), said India holds significant untapped opportunities in renewable energy and sustainable industrial development. Drawing on his visits to projects in Mundra, Gujarat and energy facilities in Hyderabad, Sandstrom noted that several Indian initiatives are already strongly oriented toward green energy and sustainability.

He argued that such projects must be replicated across regions and sectors to sustain long-term economic growth. 'The projects I've seen in and around Mundra and in the Kutch desert are about vertical integration — where you have clean power from one end and on the other side comes green ammonia, for example, or green steel or other types of cleaner products or cleaner services,' he said.

'There could be cleaner shipping, cleaner transport, and electrification of industry. That is, of course, the way forward, and there are different ways of doing this,' Sandstrom added.

Collective Action Over Individual Efforts

On the broader policy landscape, Sandstrom emphasised that economic growth requires attention to multiple areas beyond industry alone. He noted that the WEF is actively encouraging companies and institutions to collaborate rather than operate in silos — a model he described as essential for the scale of transition India is pursuing.

Sandstrom pointed to large-scale solar installations in Gujarat's Khavda region and pumped storage projects in Hyderabad as evidence of India's commitment to the energy transition. According to him, these developments could eventually support the production of green hydrogen and green ammonia, with downstream applications in transportation, agriculture, and manufacturing. He cautioned, however, that the shift from traditional systems to sustainable models requires extensive planning, coordination, and a systemic approach.

AI Transforming Urban Infrastructure

Divanshu Kumar, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Solinas Integrity, highlighted a parallel transformation underway in India's urban infrastructure. Kumar said AI-powered robotic solutions are already being deployed to overhaul sewer and pipeline maintenance across Indian cities.

He explained that artificial intelligence helps identify blockages, leaks, and structural defects in underground sewer and water networks — work that has historically been hazardous, slow, and expensive. Robotic inspections, Kumar said, allow municipal corporations to maintain ageing infrastructure more efficiently while significantly reducing operational costs.

What This Means for India

Taken together, the perspectives from Summer Davos point to a convergence of two powerful forces — clean energy and artificial intelligence — that could redefine India's industrial and urban trajectory. This comes amid growing global pressure on emerging economies to decouple growth from carbon emissions, and as India positions itself as a hub for green manufacturing and smart infrastructure. How quickly these technologies scale beyond pilot projects will be the defining test of the ambition on display in Dalian.