India to launch its own foundational AI model in few months, over 18000 GPUs deployed: Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw 

India is making significant strides in the field of artificial intelligence (AI), with Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw announcing that the country will develop its own foundational AI model within the next few months. This plan forms part of a series of efforts designed to place India at the forefront of the AI revolution. Vaishnaw also revealed that 18,693 graphics processing units (GPUs) have been empanelled under a common computing facility to help build the necessary infrastructure for AI development, as per a report by the Press Trust of India (PTI).

The minister highlighted that the initiative aligns with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of making modern technology accessible to everyone, ensuring that AI solutions are affordable and widely available. To address global privacy concerns, Vaishnaw assured that AI services, including those associated with DeepSeek, will be hosted on Indian servers, ensuring that data security remains in Indian hands.

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Building a national AI infrastructure

India’s ambition to create its own AI model is underpinned by the establishment of a robust computing infrastructure. With the deployment of 18,000 GPUs, India is laying the foundation for an AI model designed to meet the unique linguistic, economic, and social needs of the country. The establishment of AI data centres in Odisha will further strengthen this infrastructure, ensuring that the country has the resources needed to drive AI innovation.

The IndiaAI mission, which received Cabinet approval in March 2024, is a key part of this push. With an outlay of Rs 10,371.92 crore, the mission is aimed at creating a scalable AI computing ecosystem to support India’s rapidly growing AI startups and research community. The mission is also focused on fostering public-private partnerships that will drive AI research and development across the nation.

AI innovation for key sectors

A major focus of India’s AI strategy is the development of models tailored to critical sectors such as healthcare, agriculture, and governance. Through the IndiaAI Innovation Centre, India aims to create Large Multimodal Models (LMMs) that address sector-specific challenges, empowering AI-driven solutions in areas that directly impact the country’s development.

Another key initiative is the IndiaAI Datasets Platform, which will provide easy access to high-quality, non-personal datasets for researchers and startups. This platform will play a vital role in accelerating AI innovations across industries, enabling businesses to develop applications that cater specifically to India’s needs.

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Public-private partnerships and the AI marketplace

The IndiaAI mission also plans to establish an AI marketplace that will offer AI as a service. This marketplace will include pre-trained models available for Indian innovators to use in their projects. The platform aims to make AI more accessible and promote its adoption across industries, boosting India’s AI ecosystem.

Earlier this month, a technical panel from the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) met with 13 companies that submitted bids to provide AI compute and cloud services for the IndiaAI Mission. This panel, including officials from MeitY, the National Informatics Centre (NIC), and several IITs, will select the right partners to drive the mission forward.

With these efforts, India is poised to become a global leader in AI, building a strong ecosystem that will support innovation and drive solutions tailored to the nation’s needs.