Schneider Electric India’s MD & CEO Deepak Sharma On AI-Powering India’s Energy Future!

At the India AI Impact Summit at Bharat Mandapam, Siddharth Zarabi speaks with Deepak Sharma, MD & CEO, Schneider Electric India, on what this defining moment means for India’s AI ambitions. Reflecting on the massive public engagement and the growing curiosity around artificial intelligence, Sharma emphasises that AI is no longer confined to technologists — it is touching businesses, households and individuals alike.

In this wide-ranging conversation, he addresses concerns around AI and jobs, arguing that India’s growth story remains firmly in “build mode”, requiring new skills rather than fearing displacement. He explains the critical role of Schneider Electric in powering India’s AI future — from grid to chip and chip to chiller — enabling the energy and infrastructure backbone that data centres depend upon. As India eyes a sharp rise in data centre capacity by 2030, Sharma highlights the real challenge: not merely generating energy, but ensuring grid stability, digitisation and resilience to manage peak loads.

The discussion also explores whether rising AI-driven demand could impact consumer energy prices, the importance of storage and smart grids, and how India’s frugal, innovation-led approach could become a global template. With 31 factories and exports to 30 countries, Schneider Electric’s India operations are already contributing to global technology and AI ecosystems.

From energy intelligence to artificial intelligence, this conversation underlines why infrastructure, talent and smart execution will determine India’s place in the global AI race.