Executive Summary:
The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology addresses a parliamentary question regarding the enhancement of critical AI infrastructure in India. The response outlines the government's AI strategy, centered around the IndiaAI mission launched in March 2024, and details various initiatives aimed at establishing a robust and inclusive AI ecosystem. These initiatives range from providing affordable high-end computing power to developing indigenous large language models and creating AI-skilled professionals. The response also highlights the development of fairness assessment standards for AI systems.
Key Points / Main Content:
India's AI Strategy:
* Aims to democratize technology use, address India-centric challenges, and create economic/employment opportunities.
* The IndiaAI mission was launched in March 2024.
* Seven key pillars: IndiaAI Compute Capacity, IndiaAI Foundation Models, AIKosh, IndiaAI Application Development Initiative, IndiaAIFutureSkills, IndiaAI Startup Financing, and Safe Trusted AI.
IndiaAI Compute Capacity:
* Provides high-end GPUs at subsidized costs to MSMEs and startups.
* 34,381 GPUs have been onboarded from 14 empanelled service providers.
* The average rate is about Rs 65 per GPU per hour.
IndiaAI Foundation Models:
* Focuses on developing India's own Large Multimodal Models (LMMs) trained on Indian datasets and languages.
* Aims to ensure sovereign capability and global competitiveness in generative AI.
AIKosh:
* Aims to develop large datasets for training AI models.
* It is a unified data platform integrating datasets from government and non-government sources.
AI Application Development Initiative:
* Aims to develop AI applications for India-specific challenges.
* Sectors include climate change, disaster management, healthcare, agriculture, governance, and assistive technologies for learning disabilities.
IndiaAIFutureSkills:
* Focuses on developing AI skilled professionals in India.
* Aims to increase the number of graduates, postgraduates, and PhDs in the AI domain.
* Envisions setting up Data and AI Labs in Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities across India.
AI Research, Analytics and Knowledge Dissemination Platform (AIRAWAT):
* Provides a common compute platform for AI research and knowledge assimilation.
* Used by technology innovation hubs, research labs, scientific communities, industry, startups, and institutions with the National Knowledge Network.
* The 200 AI Petaflops AIRAWAT, integrated with the 210 AI Petaflops PARAM Siddhi supercomputer, ranked 75th globally.
National Supercomputing Mission (NSM):
* Launched in 2015 to build indigenous capacity for supercomputing and reduce dependency on foreign technologies.
* 37 supercomputers with 39 Petaflops cumulative compute capacity have been deployed.
* Hosted at leading academic and research institutions, including those in Tier II and Tier III cities.
Fairness Assessment Standard:
* TEC Standard No: TEC 57050:2023 provides a framework for evaluating the fairness of AI systems.
* Aims to ensure AI systems are free from unintended biases, particularly in telecommunications and ICT.
Impact Analysis:
Government of India:
* Impact: Responsible for funding, overseeing, and implementing the IndiaAI mission and related initiatives. Must ensure effective allocation of resources and monitor progress towards established goals.
* Action Required: Continue to invest in AI infrastructure, refine policies and standards, and promote collaboration between various stakeholders.
AI Startups and MSMEs:
* Impact: Benefit from subsidized access to high-end computing power (GPUs) and potential funding opportunities.
* Action Required: Leverage available resources and develop innovative AI applications aligned with India's development goals.
Researchers and Academic Institutions:
* Impact: Gain access to advanced computing infrastructure (AIRAWAT, supercomputers) and datasets for AI research.
* Action Required: Utilize available resources to conduct cutting-edge AI research, contribute to the development of indigenous AI models, and train AI professionals.
AI Professionals and Students:
* Impact: Benefit from increased opportunities for education, training, and employment in the AI domain.
* Action Required: Enhance their AI skills and knowledge through available programs and contribute to the growth of the AI ecosystem.
Citizens of India:
* Impact: Potential beneficiaries of AI applications in various sectors, including healthcare, agriculture, and governance.
* Action Required: Stay informed about AI developments and provide feedback on AI applications to ensure they are aligned with their needs and values.
Key Entities Referenced
Economic Survey 2024-25: A government publication that emphasizes the infrastructure and efficiency of Artificial Intelligence.
IndiaAI mission: A strategic initiative launched in March 2024 to establish a robust and inclusive AI ecosystem aligned with India's development goals.
IndiaAI Compute Capacity: A key pillar of the IndiaAI mission focused on providing high-end compute power GPUs to MSMEs and startups at an affordable cost.
IndiaAI Foundation Models: A key pillar of the IndiaAI mission focused on developing India's own Large Multimodal Models (LMMs) trained on Indian datasets and languages.
AIKosh: A unified data platform integrating datasets from government and non-government sources for training AI models. It is a pillar of the IndiaAI mission.
AIRAWAT: An AI Research, Analytics and Knowledge Dissemination Platform developed by the government, providing a common compute platform for AI research and knowledge assimilation.
National Supercomputing Mission (NSM): A Government of India initiative launched in 2015 to build indigenous capacity for high-end supercomputing systems.
TEC Standard No: TEC 57050:2023: A standard for Fairness Assessment and Rating of Artificial Intelligence Systems providing a framework and procedures for evaluating the fairness of AI systems.
GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
MINISTRY OF ELECTRONICS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
LOK SABHA
UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 531
TO BE ANSWERED ON: 23.07.2025
ENHANCEMENT OF CRITICAL AI INFRASTRUCTURE
531. DR. SHASHI THAROOR:
Will the Minister of ELECTRONICS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY be pleased to state:
(a) the details of the planned investment (in crores) by the Government for enhancing critical AI
infrastructure over the next 12 months in light of the Economic Survey 2024-25 emphasizing the
infrastructure and efficiency of AI;
(b) the current status of major AI infrastructure development projects nationwide e.g., number of
AI research centres, data hubs or pilot projects initiated during the last year;
(c) the measurable milestones (such as processing capabilities or data throughput improvements)
set to be achieved before widespread AI adoption is realised in the country;
(d) whether any set guidelines or evaluation criteria have been put in place to assess the practicality
and reliability of new AI models especially low-cost AI models like DeepSeek R1 and overly
complex generative AI models that disregard factual correctness; and
(e) if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor?
ANSWER
MINISTER OF STATE FOR ELECTRONICS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
(SHRI JITIN PRASADA)
(a) to (e): India’s AI strategy is based on the Hon’ble Prime Minister's vision to democratize the
use of technology. It aims to address India centric challenges, create economic and employment
opportunities for all Indians.
AI ecosystem in India at present:
India has a strong information technology ecosystem. It generates annual revenues of more than
250 billion dollars and provides employment to more than 6 million people.
Global rankings such as Stanford AI rankings place India among the top countries in AI skills,
capabilities, and policies to use AI. India is also the second-largest contributor to GitHub AI
projects, showcasing its vibrant developer community.
India’s AI strategy:
India’s AI strategy aims to position India as a global leader in artificial intelligence. Government
launched IndiaAI mission in March 2024. It is a strategic initiative to establish a robust and
inclusive AI ecosystem aligned with India's development goals.
The IndiaAI Mission comprises of the following 7 key pillars:• IndiaAI Compute Capacity: It aims to provide high-end compute power (GPUs) to all,
including MSMEs and startups, at an affordable cost.
As on date, 34,381 GPUs have been onboarded from 14 empanelled service providers.
Government of India provides these GPUs at a subsidized cost. The average rate for these
GPUs is about Rs 65 per GPU per hour.
• IndiaAI Foundation Models: To develop India’s own Large Multimodal Models (LMMs)
trained on Indian datasets and languages. This is to ensure sovereign capability and global
competitiveness in generative AI.
• AIKosh: To develop large datasets for training AI models. AIKosh is a unified data platform
integrating datasets from government and non-government sources.
• IndiaAI Application Development Initiative: This pillar aims to develop AI applications for
India specific challenges in sectors such as climate change and disaster management,
healthcare, agriculture, governance, and assistive technologies for learning disabilities.
• IndiaAIFutureSkills: To develop AI skilled professionals in India by increasing the number
of graduates, post-graduate and PhDs in AI domain. It also envisions setting up Data and AI
Labs in Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities across India.
• IndiaAI Startup Financing: To provide financial assistance to AI start-ups.
• Safe & Trusted AI: To balance innovation with strong governance frameworks to ensure
responsible AI adoption.
AI Research, Analytics and Knowledge Dissemination Platform (AIRAWAT):
• Government has developed AIRAWAT for providing a common compute platform for AI
research and knowledge assimilation.
• This AI computing infrastructure is being used by technology innovation hubs, research labs,
scientific communities, industry and start-ups, and institutions with National Knowledge
Network.
• The 200 AI Petaflops AIRAWAT integrated with 210 AI Petaflops of PARAM Siddhi
supercomputer has been ranked 75th in top 500 supercomputers in the world.
National Supercomputing Mission (NSM):
• Government of India had launched NSM in 2015 to build indigenous capacity for high-end
supercomputing systems, and reduce dependency on foreign technologies.
• Under NSM, a total of 37 supercomputers with a cumulative compute capacity of 39 Petaflops
have been deployed across the country.
• These systems are hosted at leading academic institutions, research organizations, and R&D
labs including IISc, various IITs, C-DAC, and institutions located in Tier-II and Tier-III cities
to support the growing HPC and AI compute demands of the research community.
Further, Government has developed a ‘Standard for Fairness Assessment and Rating of Artificial
Intelligence Systems’ (TEC Standard No: TEC 57050:2023). This standard provides a framework
and procedures for evaluating the fairness of AI systems, particularly in the context of
telecommunications and related ICT applications. It aims to help ensure that AI systems used in
these domains are free from unintended biases that could have negative consequences.
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