IT Ministry to present Rs 10,000 crore plan for supercomputing hubs soon, says Minister Chandrasekhar

In a significant move, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology is set to present a Rs 10,000 crore proposal to the Cabinet, aiming to establish supercomputing and quantum computing hubs through a public-private partnership, announced Rajeev Chandrasekhar, Minister of State at the ministry, on Tuesday. Chandrasekhar outlined the initiative, stating, “The IT ministry is putting forward this proposal, encompassing the installation of GPUs (graphics processing units) in a public-private partnership model, with private data centres and public data centres under CDAC (Centre for Development of Advanced Computing).” The plan includes incorporating existing supercomputers like PARAM to enhance the artificial intelligence (AI) computing capabilities within the country. The proposed computing hubs will provide high-performance computing access to startups, micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs), and other businesses, either through leasing or a “compute-as-a-service” arrangement, according to a senior government official. Furthermore, the government is anticipated to unveil the draft executive rules for the Digital Personal Data Protection (DPDP) Act soon, with a focus on preventing bias in AI-trained algorithms and machines. Minister Chandrasekhar highlighted, “The rules will address misinformation and deep fakes. We will ensure that no platform exhibits algorithmic bias or employs AI models prone to errors or biases. Additionally, measures will be taken against illegal loan apps and their promotion on internet intermediaries.” This development follows a January 4 report by the Economic Times, indicating the government’s inclination to amend the Information Technology Rules of 2021 and introduce regulations for AI companies and generative AI models. (With inputs from agencies)