Dubai’s skyline became a live bulletin when the Burj Khalifa lit up in India’s tricolour — and briefly displayed a portrait of Prime Minister Narendra Modi — to mark the India AI Impact Summit 2026. The Indian Consulate in Dubai shared a video of the projection as New Delhi wrapped a five-day summit that organisers say delivered huge attendance and major investment pledges.
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Show on the world’s tallest building
The night-time projection on the tower featured the tricolour, summit dates and summit messaging; at times a large portrait of Narendra Modi was visible. The clip, posted by the Indian Consulate in Dubai, circulated widely on social platforms and in regional newsrooms.
The India AI Impact Summit ran from 16–20 February 2026 at Bharat Mandapam, with plenaries, an expo and bilateral meetings across the five days. Organisers reported more than half a million participants and delegations from over 100 countries.
Attendance and diplomatic presence
Officials said the summit drew heads of state, ministers and senior industry figures. UAE representation included a high-level visit by Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, who took part in opening sessions and held bilateral talks on the sidelines.
Outcomes and commitments announced
Ministers and organisers announced infrastructure-linked investment commitments in excess of $250 billion, alongside separate deep-tech and venture capital pledges. Officials said the funds will target compute capacity, data infrastructure and related projects. The summit closed with a Delhi-level declaration on cooperative AI governance that dozens of countries signalled support for.
The unannounced Burj Khalifa light show, shared by the Indian Consulate, was framed as a public-diplomacy gesture highlighting India-UAE ties and international attention on the summit. Video clips were widely shared by journalists and diplomats in both cities.
