India Bets Big on Indigenous AI Development with Bold New Initiatives

By siliconindia  |  Friday, 07 March 2025, 10:51 IST

India Bets Big on Indigenous AI Development with Bold New Initiatives
India is taking big steps in artificial intelligence (AI) with the roll-out of the major initiatives under the IndiaAI Mission, representing a turning point in the nation's drive towards responsible and ethical AI development. The initiatives will help to support local innovation, enhance research capability, and arm public servants with the necessary skills in AI.
One such standout initiative is AIKosha, India's AI Datasets Platform, that has more than 300 datasets and 80 models. It provides a safe repository for AI development, including content discoverability, AI readiness scoring, permissioned access, and real-time security controls. The platform also features an AI sandbox, enabling developers to test and create solutions with integrated tools and tutorials.
IndiaAI Compute Portal is another revolutionary leap, starting with access to 10,000 GPUs, expanding to 8,693 more. The portal offers AI compute services at extremely subsidized prices for startups, researchers, academia, and government departments. The high-end GPUs such as NVIDIA H100, A100, and AMD MI300x, as well as storage and network, are accessible, making advanced AI development more cost-effective and available.
For AI-skill upgradation, the AI Competency Framework has been unveiled for skilling up government servants. It places its emphasis on competency mapping related to AI and has taken care of best global practices for impactful policy-making concerning AI. For individualized learning, iGOT-AI Mission Karmayogi online portal further empowers the officers' knowledge related to AI.
IndiaAI is also providing international opportunities for Indian AI startups by entering into a partnership with STATION F and HEC Paris. The IndiaAI Startups Global Acceleration Program will engage 10 chosen startups in a four-month program, of which three months will be onsite at STATION F, the largest startup campus globally. This program will offer mentorship, networking, and market development opportunities in Europe.
In a bid to promote significant AI solutions, IndiaAI Innovation Challenge has seen more than 900 submissions to tackle serious areas such as healthcare, agriculture, climate change, disaster management, and learning disabilities. At the same time, IndiaAI Data Labs are being established in tier 2 and 3 cities to provide basic AI courses, developing talent in the country.
India's AI DPI framework protects ethically harvested, consent-driven datasets, mitigating dependence on artificial and outside data. Backed by such a framework along with the AI infrastructure expanding across the country and international partnerships, India is all set to challenge the world to take notice.
With these efforts, India is not just investing in AI technology but also empowering its researchers, innovators, and public servants to influence the future of AI both nationally and globally. The IndiaAI Mission embodies the nation's vision of leveraging technology to advance progress, address intricate challenges, and create a more inclusive digital economy.

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