OpenAI explores partnership with India for data center expansion
What's the story
OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT, is said to be exploring a partnership with India as part of its 'OpenAI for Countries' initiative.
The effort seeks to assist national governments in expanding their data center capacity in collaboration with the US government.
Jason Kwon, OpenAI's Chief Strategy Officer, has been visiting several Asia Pacific nations, including Japan, South Korea, Australia, and India.
He is meeting governments and potential private-sector partners to discuss the opportunities.
International collaboration
What is the 'OpenAI for Countries' initiative?
The 'OpenAI for Countries' initiative is a two-way partnership between the US and other nations. Its first pilot project was announced with the UAE last month.
As part of this, the UAE will host a 1GW AI computing cluster named Stargate in Abu Dhabi.
The country will also invest in similar AI infrastructure within the US under the US-UAE AI Acceleration Partnership.
Talent development
OpenAI Academy launched to cultivate AI talent in India
In a bid to 'cultivate AI talent' in India, OpenAI has launched 'OpenAI Academy' with the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY)'s IndiaAI Mission.
The initiative aims to provide access to AI education and tools for India's developer community and network of start-ups and innovators.
The partnership also includes a memorandum of understanding (MoU), marking the first international launch of OpenAI's education platform.
Educational outreach
MoU outlines 7 joint initiatives
The MoU between OpenAI and IndiaAI Mission outlines seven joint initiatives.
These include OpenAI providing educational content to IndiaAI Mission's FutureSkills platform for digital skilling.
The content will also be made available on the iGOT Karmayogi platform for training government officials in English, Hindi, and four regional languages later on.
Startup support
Other key aspects of the partnership
OpenAI will also host regular webinars and in-person workshops across six cities.
The company will provide up to $100,000 in API credits to 50 IndiaAI-approved fellows or start-ups.
The partnership also includes a series of hackathons across seven states, expected to reach around 25,000 students. Winners will get invites to attend OpenAI Dev Day events internationally.