India is set to unveil its first foundational Artificial Intelligence (AI) model within the next 10 months, announced Minister for Electronics and Information Technology Ashwini Vaishnaw on Tuesday. The government plans to host an open-source AI model, similar to China’s ‘DeepSeek’, on Indian servers. This development comes at a time when Chinese startups are making significant strides in the global AI landscape.
Speaking at the India Today-Business Today Budget Roundtable, Vaishnaw emphasized the need to view the India AI mission holistically. He highlighted that the government had approved the AI mission last year, allocating approximately Rs 10,000 crore to the initiative.
“Similar to the Digital India program, which has been a cornerstone of our prime minister’s digitalization efforts, this AI mission aims to democratize access to technology and computing power. It ensures that more people have the opportunity to develop foundational models and applications,” Vaishnaw explained.
The minister revealed that India has already secured 18,000 high-end GPUs (Graphics Processing Units), with 10,000 already operational. “The first requirement for building an AI model is computing power. While those with deep pockets can afford it, we are creating a structure where the government facilitates access to computing power for everyone,” he said during the roundtable.
Vaishnaw expressed confidence in India’s ability to innovate, citing a Stanford study that ranks India among the top four countries globally in terms of innovation potential. “We are confident that India will emerge as a leader in AI technology. There is no doubt about our ability to harness its power,” he asserted.
He also predicted that AI models will become increasingly commoditized as they address population-scale challenges. For instance, he shared how Indian Railways leveraged AI to enhance ticketing efficiency. A year ago, AI models were deployed to increase the rate of confirmed tickets, resulting in a 27% improvement for passengers.
Vaishnaw underscored that AI technology is still in its early stages, and the innovations it will drive in the coming years will be transformative. With India’s commitment to democratizing AI and fostering innovation, the country is poised to play a pivotal role in shaping the future of this groundbreaking technology.
