New Delhi, India – The IndiaAI Mission, a flagship government program with an outlay of over ₹10,300 crore, is moving into its execution phase with the announcement of a detailed framework for creating and managing national GPU compute pools. The government has confirmed that tender timelines for the procurement of thousands of high-performance GPUs will be released next month, marking a critical step in building the sovereign AI infrastructure necessary to power India’s AI ambitions.
The core of the strategy is the creation of a distributed, large-scale GPU compute infrastructure accessible to the nation’s brightest minds. This infrastructure will be made available to Indian startups, academic researchers, and government-backed R&D labs at heavily subsidized rates, and in some cases, for free. This move is designed to level the playing field, allowing homegrown innovators to train and develop sophisticated, large-scale AI models without incurring the prohibitive costs associated with commercial cloud providers. This democratization of AI compute is seen as essential for fostering a vibrant startup ecosystem capable of competing globally.
The access framework will be managed through a unified digital portal, where eligible entities can apply for compute resources. The allocation process will be merit-based, prioritizing projects that align with national priorities, such as healthcare, agriculture, and language technologies. The government is also partnering with public sector undertakings and data center operators to host this critical infrastructure, ensuring data sovereignty and security.
This compute buildout is a direct response to the global AI race, where access to massive computational power has become a key differentiator. By providing its own researchers and entrepreneurs with the necessary tools, India aims to spur the creation of foundational models tailored to Indian contexts, languages, and data. The IndiaAI Mission’s focus on compute is a strategic investment in the country’s technological future, aimed at ensuring that the benefits of the AI revolution are built by, and for, the people of India.
