The Union Budget for 2023-24 has announced the establishment of three Centers of Excellence in Artificial Intelligence (AI) in top educational institutions. These centers will facilitate interdisciplinary research and development of innovative applications in fields such as agriculture, health, and sustainable cities, with the involvement of industry players.
According to Rajeev Chandrasekhar, the Union Minister of State for Electronics and IT who represents Karnataka in the Rajya Sabha, the state can expect to receive one of these Centers of Excellence in AI. The Karnataka government has already applied for it, and Chandrasekhar is determined to ensure that the state is granted one of these centers, in keeping with the BJP’s “double-engine” narrative in the run-up to the state elections. These Centers of Excellence fall under the IndiaAl program, which is being developed by Chandrasekhar’s ministry.
Chandrasekhar highlighted an example of technology opportunities in India. He expressed his optimism about the National Data Governance Framework Policy, which is awaiting approval from the Union Cabinet. According to him, the policy will make anonymised non-personal data available to Indian companies, startups and research organisations. He believes that this will fully transform AI, making it a game-changer for the industry. Moreover, it will result in the largest collection of the most diverse datasets in the world. He also specified that foreign companies will not have access to Indian datasets.
Chandrasekhar is hopeful that the “double-engine” factor will be advantageous to Karnataka in the electronics space. The Union government recently approved the Electronics Manufacturing Cluster in Dharwad, which is expected to attract investments worth Rs 1,500 crore and create 18,000 jobs. Chandrasekhar stated that due to the China+1 policy, manufacturing will increase in India, and Karnataka is well-positioned to benefit from this trend.
Chandrasekhar is also pushing for a satellite campus of the India Semiconductor Research Centre (ISRC) to be set up on the outskirts of Bengaluru. In addition, he mentioned that India is trying to attract tech giant Apple to make India its home. He cited that the single-largest plant of iPhones in India will be in Devanahalli, Karnataka, referring to the proposed Foxconn plant.
