The Union Cabinet, on March 7, gave the green light to a Rs 10,371.92-crore artificial intelligence (AI) program, designed to establish computing infrastructure through a public-private partnership. This initiative, known as the India AI program, will involve government support in constructing a high-end scalable AI computing ecosystem, developing and deploying indigenous large multimodal models, and promoting AI applications across critical sectors.
Furthermore, the India AI program will extend assistance to expedite deeptech AI startups and implement responsible AI projects, including the development of indigenous tools and frameworks. Additionally, efforts will be made to address barriers to entry in AI programs and enhance AI courses at undergraduate, master’s, and PhD levels.
Following the announcement of the India AI mission’s approval, Minister of State for Electronics and Information Technology, Rajeev Chandrasekhar, emphasized the significance of AI, stating that the program will position India as a leading force in shaping the future of AI globally.
In January of the same year, Chandrasekhar had indicated the government’s intention to seek Cabinet approval for establishing supercomputing and quantum hubs worth Rs 10,000 crore. These hubs would involve setting up graphic processing units (GPUs) in partnership with data centers in both private and public sectors.
Moreover, C-DAC’s PARAM supercomputers will be leveraged to enhance the artificial intelligence computing capacity as part of this initiative. This initiative follows Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s announcement in December 2023, where he unveiled plans for an AI mission aimed at providing compute power to startups and innovators to address challenges in sectors like healthcare, agriculture, and education.
In an earlier development in 2023, the government endorsed a report by an expert panel recommending the establishment of computing infrastructure consisting of 24,500 graphics processing units (GPU) at 17 centers. This move is intended to foster innovation in emerging technology areas within the country, particularly among startups and academia.