Gandhinagar: Chief minister Bhupendra Patel on Wednesday visited Washington DC, where he met global business leaders to seek investments and strategic partnerships for the state, in run-up to Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit (VGGS) in Jan 2027.The delegation led by Patel is visiting Washington DC, New York, San Francisco and Toronto as part of Gujarat’s global outreach ahead of the summit scheduled for Jan 2027. The discussions are focused on attracting investments and partnerships in semiconductors, artificial intelligence (AI), data centres, biotechnology and deep-tech.In Washington DC, Patel met Walmart executive vice-president Dan Bryant to discuss ways of connecting Gujarat’s MSMEs and traditional artisans with global supply chains. The state govt said the visit was aimed not merely at attracting investments but also at building long-term partnerships in technology, research and development (R&D), talent and supply chains.During the US leg of the visit, Patel also held meetings with senior executives of Google, Perplexity AI and Micron Technology, besides interacting with the Indian and Gujarati diaspora and technology leaders.At the Google campus, Patel met vice-president Chandu Thota and senior executives to discuss expanding AI training programmes for students, youth and educators, the statement said. His meeting with Perplexity AI CEO Aravind Srinivas focused on opportunities in deep-tech, digital infrastructure and data centres.At a meeting with Micron Technology chairman and CEO Sanjay Mehrotra, Patel discussed the progress of the company’s semiconductor facility at Sanand. The semiconductor sector is expected to remain a key focus area of VGGS 2027, with Gujarat seeking further investments across the chip manufacturing and electronics value chain.In San Francisco, Patel interacted with the Gujarati diaspora, particularly professionals working in Silicon Valley’s semiconductor, AI, technology and innovation sectors. He stressed the need to build a stronger bridge between global Gujarati talent and companies in Gujarat.
