Union Minister for Electronics and Information Technology, Ashwini Vaishnaw, inaugurated the AI Compute Portal in New Delhi on Thursday. This platform will provide researchers, startups, and government agencies with access to advanced computing resources, including high-powered Graphics Processing Units (GPUs), for artificial intelligence (AI) applications.
During the launch, Vaishnaw revealed plans to establish 27 AI data laboratories across the country. He also mentioned that the government is currently reviewing applications for developing foundational AI models.
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Following the approval of the IndiaAI Mission in 2024, the government has committed ₹10,300 crore over five years to strengthen the nation’s AI capabilities. A major component of this initiative is a shared computing facility equipped with 18,693 GPUs, making it one of the largest AI compute infrastructures worldwide. This capacity is nearly nine times larger than the open-source AI model DeepSeek and approximately two-thirds of the computing power used by ChatGPT.
As part of the initial rollout, 10,000 GPUs are already available, with more to be added in the future. This infrastructure is designed to foster the creation of AI solutions that cater to India’s diverse linguistic and cultural landscape.
To ensure equitable access to high-performance computing, the government has also introduced an open GPU marketplace. Unlike other countries where AI infrastructure is controlled by large corporations, this initiative aims to make resources available to a broader range of users, including startups and academic researchers.
In a move to secure the AI supply chain, the government has partnered with 10 companies to provide GPUs. Additionally, there are plans to develop an indigenous GPU within three to five years, reducing reliance on imported technology.
The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology announced that the new computing facility will offer GPU access at a subsidized rate of ₹1 per hour, significantly lower than the global cost of ₹2 to ₹2.40 per hour.
Simultaneously, India is advancing its semiconductor manufacturing efforts, with five semiconductor plants currently under construction. This expansion is expected to support AI development while boosting the electronics industry.
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(With inputs from ANI)
