India and Qatar are set to enhance their economic partnership, focusing on sustainability, technology, entrepreneurship, and energy.

Union minister of commerce and industry, Piyush Goyal, announced this at the inaugural session of the India-Qatar Business Forum held in New Delhi on Tuesday. Goyal stated, “The future partnership will rest on the pillars of sustainability, technology, entrepreneurship and energy.”

Two significant MoUs were signed during the forum: one between the Qatari Businessmen Association (QBA) and the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and another between Invest Qatar and Invest India. 

Goyal emphasised that India and Qatar complement each other, saying, “We are two countries that can work together for a better future.” He also focused on how both countries’ “business leadership can help create synergy between the vision of Viksit Bharat 2047 and Qatar National Vision 2030 to bring greater prosperity”.

The minister noted a shift in trade dynamics from traditional energy sectors to emerging technologies such as AI, IoT and semiconductors. He remarked, “The world is going through a major shift in the context of geopolitical tensions, climate change, and cybersecurity threats”, highlighting the need for collaboration in these areas.

The event was attended by HE Sheikh Faisal bin Thani bin Faisal Al Thani, Qatar’s minister of commerce and industry, who underscored the importance of expanding business opportunities beyond oil and gas. 

Goyal invited Qatari companies to participate in India’s growth journey across various sectors, including renewable energy and infrastructure development.

Apart from Qatar, the AI ecosystem in the Middle East is slowly taking shape, starting with Saudi Arabia. The country recently announced a $1.5 billion investment in Silicon Valley-based AI startup Groq to expand AI inference infrastructure in the region. 

The agreement, revealed at LEAP 2025, Saudi Arabia’s leading tech event, strengthens the Kingdom’s AI computing capabilities and advances its Vision 2030 goal of building an AI-powered economy. 

Over the past year, the country has eyed an estimated $12.8 billion investment to develop a massive data centre at Oxagon. This centre is a key part of the futuristic NEOM city being built in the Tabuk Province, which was launched in 2017.

The planned facility would feature 1 gigawatt of capacity, marking a step forward in the country’s push to strengthen its digital infrastructure.