AI in India: Cabinet to Review Rs 10,000 Cr Proposal

The Ministry of Electronics and IT (Meity) will soon seek cabinet approval for the India AI programme, which aims to build GPU-based servers in public-private partnership mode with an outlay of over Rs 10,000 crore, according to Minister of Electronics and IT Rajeev Chandrasekhar.

Introduction

Artificial intelligence (AI) is a key technology that has the potential to transform various sectors of the economy, society and governance. However, developing and deploying AI applications requires high-performance computing infrastructure that can process large amounts of data at high speed. Currently, India lags behind other countries in terms of AI computing infrastructure, which limits its ability to innovate and compete in the global AI market.

India AI Programme

To address this gap, the Meity has proposed the India AI programme, which will set up a three-tier compute infrastructure comprising 24,500 Graphics Processing Units (GPUs) in public-private partnership mode. GPUs are specialized processors that can perform parallel computations faster than conventional CPUs, making them ideal for AI tasks.

The India AI programme will consist of the following components:

• Best-in-class AI compute infrastructure at five locations with 3,000 AI Petaflops computing power, with 15 times more capacity than the highest capacity installed at present.
• Inference Farm (2,500 AI PF) and Edge Compute (500 AI PF) systems that will enable AI applications to run on devices such as smartphones, cameras and sensors.
• GPU-based servers in private data centres as well as in data centres run by the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (CDAC), a public sector undertaking under Meity.

The total cost of the programme is estimated to be over Rs 10,000 crore, which will be shared by the government and the private sector partners. The programme is expected to boost India’s AI capabilities and create opportunities for research, innovation and entrepreneurship in the field.

Cabinet Approval

The Meity will soon seek cabinet approval for the India AI programme, according to Minister Chandrasekhar. He said that the programme is worth over Rs 10,000 crore and will be taken to the cabinet for approval. He also said that the programme will be based on public-private partnership and will build computer infrastructure capacity both in private and public data centres.

The minister expressed his confidence that the programme will help India achieve its ambitions in AI and semiconductors. He said that the government is committed to building capabilities and aiming to lead in chips, devices and product architecture. He also said that partnerships with companies like Synopsys, a US-based chip design firm that inaugurated its second-largest design centre in India on Tuesday, are the building blocks of India’s aspirations in semiconductors.

Conclusion

The India AI programme is a significant initiative that seeks to enhance India’s computing infrastructure for artificial intelligence development. The programme will involve setting up GPU-based servers in public-private partnership mode with an outlay of over Rs 10,000 crore. The Meity will soon seek cabinet approval for the programme, which is expected to boost India’s AI capabilities and create opportunities for research, innovation and entrepreneurship in the field.