Why in news?

Recently, the IndiaAI Mission launched AI Kosha, a national dataset platform for collecting non-personal data to develop AI models. It also introduced the Common Compute portal, providing startups and academia access to shared GPUs for AI development.

What’s in today’s article?

• IndiaAI Mission: Driving AI Innovation in India
• Key Pillars of the IndiaAI Mission
• AI Kosha: India’s National AI Dataset Platform

IndiaAI Mission: Driving AI Innovation in India

• The IndiaAI Mission was initially launched as a joint initiative between the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology and Nasscom in 2023.
• It has since evolved into a government-led initiative with an outlay of ₹10,371.92 crore.
• The mission's key goals are:
  • "Making AI in India" – Encouraging domestic AI development.
  • "Making AI Work for India" – Ensuring AI benefits various sectors in the country.
• This initiative aims to bolster India’s AI ecosystem by making high-end computing resources accessible to startups and researchers.
• Common Compute Facility & GPU Access
  • A major initiative under the mission is the Common Compute facility, which provides startups and researchers access to Graphics Processing Units (GPUs)—essential for training and running AI models.
  • Since GPUs are expensive and in high demand globally, IndiaAI is empaneling data centers with GPU resources.
• Current GPU Deployment
  • 14,000 GPUs have already been acquired and commissioned.
  • More GPUs will be added quarterly to expand computing resources.
  • The mission will allocate GPU access to selected entities based on need and availability.

Key Pillars of the IndiaAI Mission

• The IndiaAI Mission comprises seven pillars, with a focus on building India’s AI capabilities across various domains.
• Common Compute Facility
  • Provides GPU access to startups and researchers.
  • Aims to reduce dependency on costly foreign computing resources.
• AI Kosha (IndiaAI Datasets Platform)
  • Develops India-specific datasets to improve AI models.
  • Reduces bias from Western-trained AI models by incorporating local language and cultural data.
• AI Safety Institute of India (Upcoming)
  • Focuses on AI risk assessment and safety guidelines.
  • Ensures AI tools are reliable and secure, preventing misuse.
• IndiaAI Innovation Centre
  • Develops domain-specific foundation models for various industries.
• AI Application Development Initiative
  • Supports AI-based solutions for commercial and societal applications.
• FutureSkills Initiative
  • Establishes AI labs in smaller cities to foster skill development.
• Startup Financing
  • Provides financial support to AI startups to boost innovation.

Building India’s Own Foundation Model: The IndiaAI Mission has invited proposals to develop an indigenous AI foundation model. 67 applications have been received, and the government aims to fast-track the process within months.

AI Kosha: India’s National AI Dataset Platform

• AI Kosha is part of the IndiaAI Datasets Platform, aimed at addressing a key challenge in AI development—the dominance of Western-trained models.
• Many AI models rely heavily on English-language data from developed countries, making them less effective for India’s diverse linguistic and cultural landscape.
• Building India-Specific AI Models
  • AI Kosha seeks to make India-centric data more accessible for researchers and AI developers.
  • It includes datasets such as translation models for Indian languages, helping reduce bias in AI training.
• Impact on AI Development
  • Open-source AI models provide a foundation, but local datasets are essential to ensure AI tools are relevant and effective for Indian users.
  • AI Kosha aims to empower Indian firms to build indigenous generative AI models, reducing reliance on foreign AI tools like OpenAI and Google’s models.