In a significant move towards fostering artificial intelligence (AI) development in India, the Union Cabinet has approved the national-level IndiaAI Mission with a budget outlay of ₹10,371.92 crore. This decision underscores the government’s commitment to harnessing AI technology for societal benefit and enhancing India’s global competitiveness.
Under PM @NarendraModi ji’s futuristic vision, Bharat embarks on the ambitious India AI Mission! pic.twitter.com/C9A2nqI6RU
— Piyush Goyal (मोदी का परिवार) (@PiyushGoyal) March 7, 2024
“The IndiaAI Mission will establish a comprehensive ecosystem catalyzing AI innovation through strategic programs and partnerships across the public and private sectors. By democratizing computing access, improving data quality, developing indigenous AI capabilities, attracting top AI talent, enabling industry collaboration, providing startup risk capital, ensuring socially impactful AI projects, and bolstering ethical AI, it will drive responsible, inclusive growth of India’s AI ecosystem,” the press release added.
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Progress in the India AI Landscape
The IndiaAI Mission aims to further Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of positioning India as a global leader in AI technology. The mission seeks to showcase the positive applications of AI for societal benefit and elevate India’s global competitiveness in this revolutionary field.
#CabinetDecision | Cabinet's approval of the #IndiaAIMission marks a significant step towards democratising access to crucial resources for AI innovation.
IndiaAI FutureSkills pillar aims to enhance the availability of AI courses at undergraduate, master's, and Ph.D. levels.… pic.twitter.com/Lz21kegxlg
— Digital India (@_DigitalIndia) March 7, 2024
According to a press note from the Cabinet, the IndiaAI Mission will establish a comprehensive ecosystem catalyzing AI innovation through strategic programs and partnerships across the public and private sectors. By democratizing computing access, improving data quality, developing indigenous AI capabilities, attracting top AI talent, enabling industry collaboration, providing startup risk capital, ensuring socially impactful AI projects, and bolstering ethical AI, the mission aims to drive responsible, inclusive growth of India’s AI ecosystem.
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Key Features of IndiaAI Mission:
IndiaAI Compute Capacity:
The IndiaAI compute pillar will build a high-end, scalable AI computing ecosystem to cater to the increasing demands of India’s rapidly expanding AI startups and research ecosystem. The ecosystem will comprise an AI computing infrastructure of 10,000 or more Graphics Processing Units (GPUs), built through public-private partnerships.
IndiaAI Innovation Centre:
The IndiaAI Innovation Centre will develop and deploy indigenous Large Multimodal Models (LMMs) and domain-specific foundational models in critical sectors.
IndiaAI Datasets Platform:
The IndiaAI Datasets Platform will streamline access to quality non-personal datasets for AI Innovation. A unified data platform will be developed to provide a one-stop solution for seamless access to non-personal datasets to Indian startups and researchers.
IndiaAI Application Development Initiative:
The IndiaAI Application Development Initiative will promote AI applications in critical sectors for the problem statements sourced from Central Ministries, State Departments, and other institutions.
IndiaAI FutureSkills:
IndiaAI FutureSkills is conceptualized to mitigate barriers to entry into AI programs and will increase AI courses in undergraduate, Masters level, and Ph.D. programs.
IndiaAI Startup Financing:
The IndiaAI Startup Financing pillar is conceptualized to support and accelerate deep-tech AI startups and provide them with streamlined access to funding to enable futuristic AI projects.
Safe & Trusted AI:
Recognizing the need for adequate guardrails to advance the responsible development, deployment, and adoption of AI, the Safe & Trusted AI pillar will enable the implementation of responsible AI projects, including the development of indigenous tools and frameworks, self-assessment checklists for innovators, and other guidelines and governance frameworks.
According to the government, the India AI Mission will drive forward creativity and enhance internal capabilities, safeguarding India’s technological autonomy. Additionally, it aims to generate employment opportunities that require advanced skills, tapping into the country’s demographic advantage.
This significant allocation of funds for the IndiaAI Mission underscores the government’s commitment to fostering innovation and technological advancement in India’s AI landscape. With strategic programs and partnerships in place, the mission is poised to propel India into a global leader in AI technology, driving responsible and inclusive growth for the nation.
