At the Invest Karnataka 2025 inaugural event at Bangalore Palace, Union Minister Rajnath Singh announced a historic leap in India’s AI journey—Bengaluru will drive the development of the nation’s first foundational AI model. This initiative cements the city’s role as the epicenter of India’s technological evolution, marking a major milestone in the country’s ambitions to lead AI innovation on a global scale.
“Bengaluru laid the foundation for India’s software revolution, and now it will drive the next wave of AI innovation,” Singh declared. His remarks reinforced the city’s status as India’s premier technology and innovation hub. The event, attended by global investors, industry leaders, and policymakers, highlighted Karnataka’s strategic importance in shaping India’s economic and technological trajectory. Singh also assured investors that India is fostering a business-friendly environment, emphasizing, “We no longer present red tape to investors. Instead, we roll out a red carpet for them.” This sentiment aligns with the country’s broader push to position itself as a leader in emerging technologies.
Meanwhile, Union IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, speaking at the Utkarsh Odisha Conclave, unveiled another transformative initiative—India will develop its own large language model (LLM), directly challenging global AI giants like OpenAI’s ChatGPT and DeepSeek AI. This ambitious project, backed by the IndiaAI Compute Facility, will leverage 18,000 GPUs to create an advanced AI system tailored to India’s linguistic diversity, cultural nuances, and economic landscape. By focusing on local requirements, India aims to build AI models that cater specifically to its unique challenges and opportunities, ensuring that technological advancements serve the needs of its vast population.
The development of India’s foundational AI model and its proprietary LLM represents a strategic move to reduce reliance on foreign AI technologies and establish the country as a major AI powerhouse. With Bengaluru at the forefront, the initiative will attract top talent, drive research and development, and foster collaborations between academia, industry, and government. The move also underscores India’s commitment to ethical AI development, ensuring responsible AI adoption that aligns with the country’s economic and social priorities.
As global competition in AI intensifies, India’s bold investments in foundational AI research and compute infrastructure signal a clear ambition to become a self-sufficient AI leader. By building indigenous AI capabilities, the nation is poised to drive innovation across sectors, from healthcare and finance to manufacturing and education. With Bengaluru leading the charge, India’s AI future is set to be transformative, unlocking new economic opportunities and solidifying its position as a global technology powerhouse.
