Union IT minister Ashwini Vaishnaw launched several key initiatives under the INR 10,300 Cr IndiaAI Mission on Thursday (March 6).
As per an official statement, Vaishnaw unveiled the IndiaAI Compute Portal, which will offer affordable AI compute, network, storage and cloud services. Besides, he launched a unified datasets platform AIKosha.
At the event, he also announced the launch of an accelerator programme to incubate AI startups in the country. Not just this, Vaishnaw also released an AI competency framework for public sector officials and an AI-powered personalised content recommendation system, iGOT-AI, for government employees.
In addition, the minister also announced grants under the new IndiaAI Fellowship Student to support AI research and the establishment of IndiaAI Data Labs in Tier II & III cities across the country to impart foundational level courses in the technology.
Speaking at the event, Vaishnaw, as per Business Standard, said that the AI compute portal will be used to develop India’s own foundational model. He added that the model will be built at a fraction of the cost of other countries.
Vaishnaw also expressed optimism that India will have its own indigenous graphics processing units (GPUs) competing at the global stage in the next three to four years. He further underscored that the cost of using GPUs on the compute platform is at a “historic” low of less than INR 100 per hour.
Meanwhile, electronics and IT ministry (MeitY) secretary S Krishnan said that the AI Compute Portal represents the largest component of the IndiaAI Mission. He added that nearly 45% of the Mission’s funding has been allocated to the platform. He also underscored that leveraging AI is essential for realising the vision of “Viksit Bharat” by 2047.
“The launch of AIKosha, AI Compute Portal and other IndiaAI initiatives signifies a major step in democratising AI access, enabling research-driven innovation, and strengthening India’s global AI leadership,” the statement added.
Here is a deep dive into the initiatives unveiled by the Centre on Thursday:
IndiaAI Startups Global Acceleration Programme
The IndiaAI Mission, in partnership with French incubator STATION F and management institute HEC Paris, will launch a four month-long accelerator programme for Indian AI startups. The immersive programme will offer mentorship and networking opportunities to 10 selected Indian startups in Europe.
AIKosha
As per the government, the unified portal offers a repository of 300 datasets, 80 AI models and other tools to foster AI innovation in the country. AIKosha also features AI sandbox capabilities via integrated development environment along with tools and tutorials.
The platform is equipped with features such as content discoverability, scoring of datasets, permission based access and security mechanisms, secure APIs, and firewalls.
IndiaAI Compute Portal
The platform will offer AI compute, network, storage and cloud services at “discounted rates” to startups, researchers, students, startups and government agencies.
The IT minister said that the portal will facilitate easy access to high-end and mid-range GPUs such as NVIDIA H100, H200, A100, L40S, and L4, AMD MI300x and 325X, Intel Gaudi 2, AWS Tranium and Inferentia. This, as per the government, will pave the way for cost-effective AI development capabilities and innovation in the country .
Eligible AI users will receive up to 40% subsidy on AI compute services on cloud.
This follows the government inviting applications from interested companies earlier this year for empanelment of players for AI services on the cloud. Subsequently, the Centre selected 10 out of the 19 applicants that participated in the bids after technical evaluation.
AI Competency Framework
Vaishnaw also released the governance framework, which will look to equip public sector officials with skills related to AI and other upskilling initiatives.
iGOT-AI
iGOT-AI is an AI-powered personalised content recommendation system, which has been developed to enhance the learning experience for government officials on the iGOT Karmayogi platform.
IndiaAI Fellowship
The fellowship has been introduced to support students that have “demonstrated their skills in AI projects”. The government said that IndiaAI is disbursing tranches of the fellowship to both undergraduate and postgraduate students from various centrally funded institutes, including IITs, NITs, IIITs, as well as other government and private academic institutes.
The launches are part of the IndiaAI Mission, approved by the Union Cabinet in 2024, which aims to make the country an AI hub through strategic partnerships between both public and private sectors. The Mission aims to “democratise” AI access, enhance data quality, cultivate indigenous AI capabilities, and ensure ethical AI practices.
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