India’s Union Cabinet Approves $1.24 Billion “IndiaAI Mission” to Support AI Startups and Innovations
In a groundbreaking move, India’s supreme decision-making body, the Union Cabinet, has given the green light to the “IndiaAI Mission” with an initial budget of 10,300 crore rupees ($1.24 billion). The mission aims to bolster artificial intelligence (AI) startups and innovations over the next five years, signaling a significant investment in the country’s tech sector.
Announced by Union Minister Piyush Goyal at a cabinet briefing on March 7, the IndiaAI Mission seeks to provide widespread access to computing power, a crucial element for AI development and deployment, to innovators, startups, students, and educational institutions across the nation. The mission will be implemented through a public-private partnership model to nurture India’s AI innovation ecosystem.
Comprising seven key components, the IndiaAI Mission will focus on building and democratizing compute capacity, developing indigenous large multimodal models (LMMs), facilitating access to quality non-personal data sets, and creating AI applications. One of the highlights of the mission is the establishment of an AI computing infrastructure equipped with 10,000 or more graphics processing units (GPUs) to support AI startups through public-private partnerships.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed his enthusiasm for the IndiaAI Mission, stating that it will empower AI startups and expand access to compute infrastructure, propelling India towards becoming a global leader in AI innovation. The government believes that advancements in AI will not only boost the economy but also create highly skilled job opportunities for the country’s workforce.
In a related development, the Indian government issued a warning to tech companies on March 1, mandating that they obtain prior approval before releasing new AI tools. The directive emphasized the importance of obtaining explicit permission from the Government of India before making AI tools available to users on the Indian Internet. Additionally, platforms were urged to ensure that their tools do not pose a threat to the integrity of the electoral process, with general elections scheduled for summer 2024.
The approval of the IndiaAI Mission marks a significant milestone in India’s journey towards harnessing the power of AI to drive innovation, economic growth, and job creation. With a strong focus on supporting AI startups and fostering a conducive environment for AI development, the mission is poised to position India as a key player in the global AI landscape.