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AI in Asia
3 Before 9: February 20, 2026

3 Before 9: February 20, 2026

Your essential AI intelligence briefing. Three signals that matter, delivered before your first cup of coffee.

2 min read
AI Snapshot

The TL;DR: what matters, fast.

Global and Indian companies are investing tens of billions of dollars in AI infrastructure in India.

Google and Sea Ltd are expanding their partnership to develop AI tools for e-commerce, gaming, and digital services in Southeast Asia.

An Asia-based survey reveals that most business leaders view AI as a significant disruptor and growth driver, with concerns regarding workforce impact and governance.

Who should pay attention: Investors | Tech companies | Governments | Business leaders

What changes next: Expect further AI infrastructure development and increasing AI integration across Asian industries.

##1. Major tech investment pledges at India AI Impact Summit At the India AI Impact Summit in New Delhi, global and Indian companies announced large AI infrastructure and ecosystem investments, including commitments worth tens of billions of dollars in data centres, compute and AI platforms.

Why it matters: this level of investment signals confidence in India as a key node in the AI value chain and accelerates Asia’s capacity to build sovereign compute and infrastructure.

Read more: https://www.reuters.com/world/india/tech-majors-commit-billions-dollars-india-ai-summit-2026-02-19/

##2. Google and Sea deepen AI partnership for e-commerce and gaming

Google and Southeast Asian tech group Sea Ltd have expanded their strategic collaboration to develop AI tools aimed at enhancing e-commerce, gaming and digital services, including agentic commerce prototypes and workflow solutions.

Why it matters: such partnerships leverage AI for product differentiation and digital inclusion across Southeast Asia’s leading consumer platforms.

Read more: https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/google-shopee-owner-sea-develop-ai-tools-e-commerce-gaming-2026-02-19/

##3. CEOs report AI as disruptor and growth driver in Asia firms

A new survey of business leaders in Asia shows most executives expect AI to be a major factor in disruption and growth, with China seen as highly optimistic about AI’s potential while workforce impacts and governance remain top concerns.

Why it matters: executive expectations shape corporate strategy, hiring and capital allocation, and signal how Asia’s private sector is preparing for broad AI integration.

Read more: https://www.pwc.com/gx/en/about/pwc-asia-pacific/ceo-survey.html