Summary: India is developing its own generative AI model, as announced by IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw at the Utkarsh Odisha Conclave. The initiative, powered by the India AI Compute Facility, has secured 18,693 GPUs, including high-end Nvidia H100 and H200 models, to build a Large Language Model (LLM) suited for India’s linguistic and cultural diversity.
The government aims to support AI research and startups by providing access to high-performance computing. Additionally, it is launching a framework to develop indigenous foundational AI models that incorporate Indian languages, cultural nuances, and reduced biases. This move positions India as a significant player in the global AI landscape.
India is set to make significant strides in artificial intelligence with the development of its own generative AI model, Union IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw announced at the Utkarsh Odisha Conclave. This initiative aims to position India alongside global AI leaders like ChatGPT and DeepSeek. The project will be powered by the India AI Compute Facility, which has secured an impressive 18,000 GPUs to drive the creation of a Large Language Model (LLM) tailored specifically for India’s linguistic and cultural diversity.
The Economic Times first reported this development on January 23. The Indian government is significantly expanding its computing resources, nearly doubling the originally planned number of GPUs for AI development. “I am very happy to say that, against the initial plan of 10,000 GPUs, we have successfully empanelled 18,693 GPUs,” Vaishnaw revealed. This includes 12,896 Nvidia H100s and 1,480 Nvidia H200s, some of the most advanced GPUs currently available.
“Overall, the total high-end GPUs we have stands at 15,000,” the minister added, highlighting that even leading AI models like DeepSeek were trained on just 2,000 GPUs. As of now, approximately 10,000 of these GPUs are already accessible.
Empowering AI Research and Startups
Vaishnaw emphasized the importance of making high-end computing power accessible to Indian startups, researchers, and innovators. The India AI Compute Facility is expected to play a pivotal role in fostering AI-driven advancements by providing robust computational infrastructure.
Another major focus of this initiative is the development of indigenous foundational models. “The second major thrust of the IndiaAI mission is to develop a homegrown AI model,” Vaishnaw stated. “We have now formulated a framework, which will be launched today, and we are inviting proposals for the development of our own foundational models. These models will be designed to incorporate the Indian context, support multiple Indian languages, reflect our cultural heritage, and eliminate biases.”
The initiative marks a significant step toward AI self-reliance, ensuring that India’s AI ecosystem is built on datasets relevant to its citizens and national priorities. By focusing on domestic AI research and infrastructure, India aims to emerge as a global leader in the field while addressing unique regional challenges through AI-driven solutions.
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