The India AI Mission, launched with an initial target of 10,000 GPUs, has received an overwhelming response from the private sector, with bids for over 20,000 GPUs. This strong interest reflects the growing appetite for building compute capacity in India, which is essential for driving AI innovation and supporting the country’s ambition to become a global leader in AI.
S Krishnan, Secretary of MeitY, told CNBC-TV18 that the AI mission is now focusing on foundational models that go beyond traditional large language models. He said these new models will have multimodal capabilities, enabling them to handle diverse types of data and applications. By 2025, Krishnan said the government expects several initiatives under the AI mission to come to fruition, marking a significant milestone in India’s journey to becoming a global AI powerhouse.
In addition to AI, the ministry is addressing critical infrastructure needs, such as data centres and power requirements. India currently has 1,000 MW of data centre capacity, but this needs to grow substantially to meet the demands of a rapidly digitising economy. Krishnan said the government is underwriting a portion of this capacity development and working closely with state governments to encourage growth in this sector.
He noted that while the focus is on meeting domestic demand, India is open to exporting excess data centre capacity to other countries. This aligns with the government’s vision of positioning India as a global hub for data infrastructure. During a recent visit by the UN Secretary-General, discussions were held about India’s readiness to commit data centre capacity for international use, further highlighting the country’s potential in this area.
By combining ambitious AI initiatives with targeted investments in data centre infrastructure, MeitY is laying the foundation for India to become a global leader in technology. These efforts are expected to drive innovation, enhance productivity, and position India as a key player in the global digital economy.
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