India to Develop Its Own Large Language Model Under ₹10,370 Crore IndiaAI Mission

What’s in Today’s article?

• India to Develop Its Own Large Language Model Latest News
• Key Developments and Government Strategy
• Companies Selected for GPU Supply
• Affordable Compute Power for AI Developers
• Application-Level AI Development
• Reasons for India Investing in AI Development
• Challenges and Future Outlook
• India’s AI Mission FAQs

India to Develop Its Own Large Language Model Latest News

• The Indian government has announced plans to develop its own large language model (LLM) as part of the ₹10,370 crore IndiaAI Mission. 
• The initiative aims to boost India’s artificial intelligence (AI) ecosystem by creating a bias-free, culturally contextualized AI model. 
• The move comes amid global advancements in AI, including China’s recent launch of the DeepSeek foundational model.

Key Developments and Government Strategy

Building India’s AI Model

Union IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw confirmed that the government has been actively engaging with startups, researchers, and academic institutions over the past 1.5 years to develop a world-class foundational AI model.

The initiative is expected to take 4-8 months for completion. The government is currently in discussions with six AI developers to work on the project, though specific details about costs and involved companies remain undisclosed.

Hardware Support: 18,693 GPUs Approved

To facilitate AI model training and research, the government has selected 10 companies to supply a total of 18,693 high-end Graphics Processing Units (GPUs), which are crucial for developing machine learning and AI models.

Companies Selected for GPU Supply

• Yotta (Hiranandani Group-backed) – 9,216 GPUs (largest contributor), Jio Platforms, Tata Communications, E2E Networks, CMS Computers, Ctrls Datacenters, Locuz Enterprise Solutions, NxtGen Datacenter, Orient Technologies, Vensysco Technologies
• According to Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, 10,000 GPUs are ready for immediate installation to support AI projects.

Affordable Compute Power for AI Developers

The government plans to launch a common compute facility to provide startups and researchers with affordable access to GPU resources.

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• Pricing for Compute Access:
  • High-end GPUs: ₹150 per hour
  • Lower-end GPUs: ₹115.85 per hour
• Government Subsidy: 40% discount for startups and research institutions
• Competitive Pricing: Post-subsidy rates will be around $1 per hour, significantly lower than global GPU access costs of $2.5-$3 per hour.

Application-Level AI Development

• Under the IndiaAI Mission, the government has selected 18 AI-based applications for funding in its first phase. 
• These applications focus on agriculture, learning disabilities, and climate change—key sectors where AI can drive social and economic impact.

Reasons for India Investing in AI Development

• With AI emerging as a key driver of innovation and economic growth, India aims to:
  • Reduce dependency on foreign AI models and promote indigenous AI research.
  • Support multilingual AI capabilities to cater to India’s diverse linguistic and cultural landscape.
  • Enhance computational capabilities to strengthen AI startups and research institutions.
  • Compete with global AI advancements, ensuring India remains a major player in AI development.

Challenges and Future Outlook

• While India’s AI mission is ambitious, certain challenges remain:
  • Infrastructure Development: Ensuring seamless GPU availability and processing capacity.
  • Skilled Workforce: Training researchers and developers to build high-quality AI models.
  • Regulatory Frameworks: Establishing AI ethics, data privacy, and security guidelines.
• The government’s proactive approach in setting up funding, compute infrastructure, and industry collaborations positions India strongly in the global AI race. 
• If successfully executed, the IndiaAI Mission could transform India into a major AI hub, reducing reliance on foreign AI systems while driving technological progress across sectors.

India’s AI Mission FAQs

Q1. What is the objective of India’s AI model development?
Ans. The goal is to create an India-specific large language model that is bias-free, multilingual, and culturally relevant.

Q2. How will AI startups benefit from this initiative?
Ans. Startups will get affordable GPU access, 40% government subsidies, and funding opportunities for AI applications.

Q3. Which companies are supplying GPUs for AI model training?
Ans. Yotta, Jio Platforms, Tata Communications, E2E Networks, and seven other companies are supplying 18,693 GPUs.

Q4. What sectors will AI applications focus on?
Ans. The 18 AI applications selected for funding will focus on agriculture, learning disabilities, and climate change.

Q5. When will India’s foundational AI model be ready?

Ans. The model is expected to be developed within 4-8 months, according to the IT Minister.

Source: IE  | TOI