India Approves ₹10,371.92 Crore National AI Mission to Foster Innovation and Upskill Workforce
The Indian Cabinet has given the green light to the national IndiaAI mission, aiming to position the country as a global leader in artificial intelligence. With a budget of ₹10,371.92 crore, the initiative focuses on developing AI infrastructure, enhancing workforce skills, and driving innovation.
Key objectives of the IndiaAI Mission include establishing computing infrastructure with over 10,000 GPUs in collaboration with the private sector, creating an AI datasets platform to provide access to non-personal data for startups and researchers, and promoting innovation across various sectors.
According to the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (Meity), the mission aims to be a comprehensive resource hub for AI innovation. Union Minister for IT, Ashwini Vaishnaw, highlighted the democratization of technology, emphasizing increased access to computer power for innovators, startups, students, and educational institutions.
Minister of State for Meity, Rajeev Chandrasekhar, emphasized AI’s role in driving India’s digital economy and Prime Minister Modi’s vision to harness AI’s potential for citizen welfare and economic growth. The mission will also establish an AI marketplace offering AI services and pre-trained models.
Additionally, the IndiaAI Innovation Centre will focus on developing indigenous Large Multimodal Models (LMMs) and domain-specific foundational models in critical sectors. The initiative aligns with global trends in AI development and aims to tap into India’s projected $7.8 billion AI market by 2025.
The mission incorporates recommendations from a government working group to monetize non-personal data through a marketplace while ensuring privacy. It also includes plans to expand AI education at various academic levels and establish Data and AI Labs in tier 2 and tier 3 cities.
With the rapid evolution of AI technologies, the mission emphasizes responsible AI development and deployment. The Safe & Trusted AI pillar will focus on implementing responsible AI projects, developing indigenous tools and frameworks, and establishing governance frameworks to address potential risks associated with AI adoption.