How Modi government plans to democratize AI infrastructure in India
What's the story
The Indian government has unveiled a plan to democratize access to artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure. The strategy, outlined in a white paper by the Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser, focuses on expanding access to compute power, datasets, and AI models. The goal is to enable innovation beyond major tech hubs and support responsible and inclusive AI adoption across the country.
Resource distribution
AI infrastructure: A shared national resource
The government defines AI infrastructure as the computing power, datasets, and models that drive modern AI systems. Currently, these resources are concentrated in a few global tech companies and urban centers. The government believes this concentration hinders equitable participation and slows innovation in sectors like healthcare, agriculture, education, and public services.
Expansion
Government's strategy to expand compute capacity
The government has stressed the need to expand domestic compute capacity. Data centers, high-performance computing clusters, and specialized processors are essential for AI development. Despite generating a lot of data, India's share in global data center capacity is low. To address this gap, initiatives under the IndiaAI Mission and National Supercomputing Mission are expanding access to high-performance compute resources across academic and research institutions.
Infrastructure initiatives
Digital infrastructure and data access
The government has also highlighted the importance of digital infrastructure in democratizing AI. Platforms like IndiaAIKosh are national repositories for datasets, models, and tools with permission-based access while also ensuring data ownership and privacy safeguards. Sector-specific initiatives like the National Language Translation Mission seek to enhance representation of Indian languages in AI systems. State-level efforts are also contributing through data exchange platforms that enable controlled sharing without centralized pooling.
DPI strategy
Digital Public Infrastructure approach for AI
A key pillar of the government's strategy is a Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) approach for AI. The DPI model promotes modular, interoperable layers that offer predictable and transparent access to AI resources. The white paper notes that DPI for AI should evolve in phases, starting with the directories, metadata standards, and access protocols before moving to more advanced federated data and compute mechanisms.
Sustainability concerns
Balancing access, sustainability, and sectoral adoption
Along with expanding access, the Centre has also acknowledged challenges related to energy use, sustainability, and uneven sectoral adoption. Scaling AI infrastructure will increase demand for power and cooling. This needs coordination with renewable energy policies and efficient design. Targeted efforts are also required to ensure that sectors such as agriculture, healthcare, and education are not left behind in this digital evolution.