New Delhi [India], October 15 : Union Minister for Education, Dharmendra Pradhan, announced the establishment of three AI Centres of Excellence (CoEs) in New Delhi on Tuesday.
According to the Ministry of Education, the three AI-CoEs will focus on key sectors--Healthcare, Agriculture, and Sustainable Cities--each led by top institutions in partnership with industry stakeholders and startups.
With a total financial outlay of Rs 990 crore, the initiative will be implemented over five years, from FY 2023-24 to FY 2027-28, with the aim of strengthening India's global position in AI-driven research and innovation.
As part of the vision to "Make AI in India and Make AI work for India," the establishment of these centres was announced under Para 60 of the Budget Announcement for 2023-24.
AIIMS and IIT Delhi will spearhead the healthcare CoE, IIT Ropar will lead efforts in agriculture, and IIT Kanpur will drive the sustainable cities initiative.
Speaking at the event, Dharmendra Pradhan expressed hope that the three AI-CoEs would emerge as global centres of public good. He noted that the unveiling of these centres marked a significant step in strengthening Bharat's credentials in the global AI landscape.
Pradhan further added that, with the talent and zeal that Bharat possesses, these CoEs will, in time, become key elements of global public policy and solution providers to the world.
He praised the apex committee, led by Sridhar Vembu, for their meticulous efforts in implementing the AI CoEs in India's top academic institutions.
Expressing gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his vision of establishing India as a global AI hub, Pradhan noted that these CoEs will give a major boost to the country's start-up ecosystem, helping create a new generation of job and wealth creators and establishing new paradigms of global public good.
K Sanjay Murthy, in his address, highlighted that these CoEs are not just institution-based but are designed to serve the entire country. He stressed the importance of interdisciplinary research and collaboration, pointing out that the competitive challenge-based methods developed in educational institutions have ensured progress in solving common problems.
He also expressed gratitude to Dharmendra Pradhan for his leadership in bringing the project to fruition.
Sridhar Vembu, in his speech, outlined how these projects will holistically benefit villages, cities, and the people of India. He emphasized the importance of nurturing the country's talent pool to ensure they flourish and serve the nation in the coming decades. He added that the CoEs will create companies, nurture talent, and generate opportunities for India's talent pool.
Saumya Gupta, Joint Secretary, Department of Higher Education, Ministry of Education, presented the genesis, implementation, and insights into the development of the AI CoEs. A short film on the theme, "Make AI in India and Make AI work for India," was also shown during the event.
To realise the vision of "Viksit Bharat," these three AI CoEs will be led by top educational institutions in collaboration with industry partners and startups.
They will conduct interdisciplinary research, develop cutting-edge applications, and create scalable solutions in these sectors. This initiative aims to galvanise an effective AI ecosystem and nurture high-quality human resources in these critical fields.
To oversee the initiative's implementation, an industry-heavy apex committee has been constituted, co-chaired by Dr Sridhar Vembu.