The Indian government is gearing up to launch the IndiaAI Mission portal in the coming days, a move that will significantly boost the country's artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities. This initiative aims to provide researchers, startups, and government entities with access to substantial computing power, a crucial ingredient for developing advanced AI models.
What is the IndiaAI Mission Portal?
Think of the IndiaAI Mission portal as a one-stop shop where different organizations, like government ministries and state departments, can request computing power for their AI projects. The government understands that running AI models can be expensive, so they're offering subsidized pricing for the computing capacity, network, and storage needed. In fact, the IndiaAI Mission will cover about 40% of the computing costs for eligible users, making it easier for them to pursue innovative AI solutions.
According to IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, the portal is expected to launch very soon, within the next 7-8 days.
14,000 GPUs to Power AI Innovation
The IndiaAI Mission isn't just about creating a portal; it's also about providing the necessary tools for AI development. To that end, the mission will offer shared computing capacity through approximately 14,000 GPUs (Graphics Processing Units). GPUs are like the engine of AI, providing the processing power needed to train and run complex AI models.
Ten companies have been selected to provide these GPUs, with Yotta Data Services, E2E Networks, Tata Communications, and AWS's managed service providers already having 10,000 GPUs available. The remaining 4,000 GPUs will be acquired by companies like Jio Platforms and CtrlS Datacenters.
High-End and Low-End GPUs for Different Needs
Not all GPUs are created equal. About 70% of the GPUs provided will be high-end models like the Nvidia H100, while the remaining 30% will be lower-end GPUs with less capacity or older generations. This mix ensures that there's a GPU for every need, whether it's training a cutting-edge AI model or running simpler AI applications.
Yotta Data Services will contribute the most to the compute capacity, with 9,216 GPUs, including 8,192 Nvidia H100 chips. AWS, through its managed service providers, will provide 1,200 lower-end GPUs, including AWS Inferentia 2 and Trainium 1 chips. Jio Platforms will offer 208 Nvidia H200 GPUs and 104 AMD MI300X GPUs.
Why is This Important?
The Indian government is focusing on building its own AI models. This push is partly motivated by the rise of AI models like China's DeepSeek, which are developed at a lower cost using older chips. By providing access to powerful computing resources, the government hopes to empower Indian researchers and startups to develop the basic AI models that power chatbots like ChatGPT or Gemini. This initiative will help India become more self-sufficient in AI and drive innovation across various sectors. Moreover, Jio Platforms intends to submit even lower bids for other GPUs during the ongoing empanelment on April 30.
With inputs from agencies
Image Source: Multiple agencies
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