AI Summit Nepal 2026, held at The Plaza in Lalitpur in early May 2026, brought together government officials, industry leaders, academics, and international partners to review Nepal’s AI implementation progress. Key milestones highlighted at the summit: the National AI Centre has been operational since November 2025, serving as the designated state body for AI research, development, and governance support; Nepal’s first 5 MW data centre was showcased as foundational AI infrastructure; and the National AI Policy 2025 is described as “in full effect.”
The National AI Centre’s operational launch is significant as it moves Nepal from a policy-only posture to an entity with a named institutional mandate to coordinate AI governance, promote AI education, and support national AI research. The summit reaffirmed the policy’s core education targets: integrating AI subjects into school and university curricula, training 5,000 AI professionals within five years, and establishing AI Excellence Centres in all seven provinces.
Who it affects: The government agencies coordinating AI implementation through the National AI Centre, higher education institutions working toward AI curriculum integration, and workers in the IT sector targeted for upskilling and reskilling programmes. The summit also discussed AI literacy for the general population as a long-term equity goal.
What is notably missing: The National AI Centre is operational but does not yet have statutory regulatory enforcement powers. AI curriculum integration in schools is a policy mandate but has not yet produced enacted legislation with a timetable, dedicated funding allocation, or mandatory teacher training requirement. The five-province AI Excellence Centre network is a target, not yet realized.