Ministry Launches IndiaAI Mission To Further Unlock AI Research and Development in India

The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has launched the IndiaAI Mission with a significant budget of ₹10,372 crore. This ambitious initiative aims to promote artificial intelligence (AI) research and development in the country by providing fellowships to students from top engineering institutes. The mission is designed to bridge the gap between theoretical knowledge and practical application, ensuring a workforce proficient in AI.

Key Highlights of the IndiaAI Mission

1. Budget and Scope: The IndiaAI Mission is allocated ₹10,372 crore over five years to support AI research and development in India. This substantial investment will help create a robust AI ecosystem in the country.
2. Student Fellowships: The mission invites nominations from top 50 engineering institutes, including IITs and NITs, for students pursuing B.Tech and M.Tech programs in AI-related courses. The fellowships will support students undertaking projects in AI, with B.Tech students receiving Rs 1 lakh in three installments and M.Tech students receiving Rs 2 lakh in four installments.
3. Eligibility Criteria: To be eligible for the fellowships, B.Tech students must have achieved at least 80 percent overall in their last semester, while M.Tech students must be enrolled in postgraduate AI-related courses and conducting a thesis on AI or related subjects.
4. Supercomputing Capacity: The mission will establish a supercomputing capacity of over 10,000 GPUs, which will be made available to various stakeholders, including startups, academia, researchers, and industry. This infrastructure will play a crucial role in creating an AI ecosystem in India.
5. Private Sector Partnerships: The government is prepared to finance up to 50 percent of the cost of creating AI compute infrastructure. This will be achieved through public-private partnerships (PPPs) and viability gap funding (VGF) mechanisms to ensure faster and wider availability of GPU resources.

Impact and Objectives

The IndiaAI Mission is designed to achieve several key objectives:

1. Enhance AI Research: By providing fellowships to students, the mission aims to encourage and support AI research and development in the country.
2. Develop AI Ecosystem: The mission will establish a robust AI ecosystem by creating high-end compute capacity and providing access to this infrastructure to various stakeholders.
3. Bridge Theoretical-Practical Gap: The fellowships will help bridge the gap between theoretical knowledge and practical application, ensuring a workforce proficient in AI.
4. Promote Global Competitiveness: The mission seeks to showcase India’s capabilities in AI and promote the country’s global competitiveness in this field.

The IndiaAI Mission is a significant step towards promoting AI research and development in India. By providing fellowships to students and establishing a robust AI ecosystem, the mission aims to bridge the gap between theoretical knowledge and practical application, ensuring a workforce proficient in AI. The government’s commitment to financing up to 50 percent of the cost of creating AI compute infrastructure will also accelerate the development of this critical infrastructure. With its ambitious budget and scope, the IndiaAI Mission is poised to play a vital role in India’s AI journey and contribute to the country’s global competitiveness in this field.

Further reading:
[1] https://www.business-standard.com/industry/news/india-ai-mission-gets-rs-2-000-crore-for-startups-meity-startup-hub-ceo-124031900978_1.html
[2] https://www.moneycontrol.com/mccode/loginConsent.php?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.moneycontrol.com%2Ftechnology%2Findiaai-mission-meity-invites-top-institutes-to-nominate-ai-scholars-for-fellowships-article-12754057.html
[3] https://indiaai.gov.in/news/cabinet-approves-india-ai-mission-at-an-outlay-of-rs-10-372-crore
[4] https://www.business-standard.com/industry/news/govt-ready-to-finance-up-to-50-of-gpu-infra-cost-meity-secretary-124051701284_1.html
[5] https://www.indiatvnews.com/technology/news/ai-mission-launched-offers-up-to-2-lakh-fellowship-to-students-check-eligibility-2024-06-22-938218