Google exec says Asia's AI adoption faster than expected, two years vs cloud's decade

Harsha Konduri, Google's managing director for AI business in Asia Pacific and Japan, told Nikkei Asia that AI adoption in Asia has been much faster than widely estimated, spreading within about two years, while cloud computing took more than a decade to enter routine enterprise use.

Konduri said the view that Asia's AI adoption lags other markets does not match reality, and that Asia could become the fastest-growing region for Google Cloud. He added that revenue from AI business in Asia now ranks second globally, with some operations approaching North America's level.

He also noted that Asian companies tend to be more cautious in adopting AI, citing partners such as Samsung Electronics, Sompo Japan Insurance and Tata Steel, as firms that built reputations over decades are wary of technology missteps. Konduri predicted rising attention to AI costs, saying companies do not need to use expensive top-tier models for every task, as only a small portion actually requires them.