India Preparing To Create Entire AI Stack In The Country With OpenAI's Help: Ashwini Vaishnaw

Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw met OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and discussed India's AI ambitions and future collaboration.

Hyderabad: Union Electronics and IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw met OpenAI co-founder and CEO Sam Altman in the national capital to discuss India's artificial intelligence (AI) aspirations. Vaishnaw added that OpenAI is willing to collaborate with India on creating the entire AI stack, complete with graphic processing units, models, and apps.

"Had super cool discussion with @sama on our strategy of creating the entire AI stack - GPUs, model, and apps. Willing to collaborate with India on all three," Minister Vaishnaw posted on X. The Minister further stated that Prime Minister Narendra Modi advocates to democratise technology and Sam Altman "appreciated PM's vision".

"Our country sent a mission to the moon at a fraction of the cost that many other countries did, right? Why can't we do a [AI] model that will be a fraction of the cost that many other countries do?" Vaishnaw said, adding that innovation will bring the cost down.

He addressed the "entire startup community" to come up with unique AI solutions that will benefit the country solving problems in healthcare, education, agriculture, weather forecasting, disaster management, transportation, and more. He also mentioned an upcoming open competition for developing AI solutions.

Earlier, Altman called India a very important market for AI and the company's second-biggest market globally. He said India should be a leader in the AI race. "AI models are still not cheap, but they are doable. India should be a leader there, of course," he told the gathering, expressing amazement at how the country embraced the technology and built an entire ecosystem around it.

As the AI race heats up globally, India is also putting its foot forward. In the recently presented Union Budget, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced the creation of a new Centre of Excellence (CoEs) in AI for education. With a budget of Rs 500 crore, the initiative aims to strengthen AI research and its use in the education system in the country.

"AI is transforming industries worldwide, and India needs to lead in both AI research and its practical applications," FM Sitharaman said.

The country is also planning to build a domestic large language model (LLM) of its own as part of the IndiaAI Mission. Last month, Ashwini Vaishnaw revealed the government's plan to launch a "safe and secure" indigenous AI model within six months, at an affordable cost.