IndiaAI Mission is an ambitious mission of India. It aims to position the country as one of the leaders in the global AI landscape. The success is of course based on technological advancements, but it is also based on ensuring the digital divide does not widen as AI capabilities expands. AI development is not just limited to hardware. It encompasses local data centers, cloud adoption and the creation of sophisticated software to manage AI systems effectively. Hence, India need to adopt a holistic view of computing infrastructure to excel high in the world.
Vladimir Putin highlighted in 2017 the global importance of AI. He said that the nation that leads in AI would dominate the world. The same was later echoed by leaders worldwide. Today, AI is becoming a national priority several countries such as China, the United States and the United Kingdom.
The National Strategy for Artificial Intelligence of Niti Aayog in India has built the foundation. It is focusing on “AI for All.” The sectors initially being targeted are healthcare, education, agriculture, smart cities and smart mobility.
Indian government has committed Rs 10,372 crore (approximately $1.3 billion) to the IndiaAI Mission. It will deploy more than 10,000 Graphics Processing Units (GPUs) through public-private collaborations. More such steps are being taken to pave the path of success.
As of now, the number of GPUs planned seems not enough. Let us understand with an example. Meta has comparatively 60 times more GPUs. Smaller AI startups globally boast more in number. It is to note that Large Language Models (LLMs) and generative AI require massive computing power for training and inference. OpenAI’s GPT-3 requires 3,640 petaflops of compute. The planned 10,000 GPUs would only provide around 25 petaflops.
The governance model for such resources needs careful consideration. India has successful examples of national bodies like ISRO and BARC. Centralizing resources under bureaucracy might not be the most efficient approach. And the proposed public-private partnership (PPP) mechanism lacks detailed implementation plans.
