Amid global developments in the wake of the Chinese firm DeepSeek’s dramatic rise threatening American giants, India is slowly inching towards building capacities for developing AI tools. The government on Thursday announced receiving bids for 18,693 graphics processing units (GPUs) or AI compute infrastructure under the ₹10,372 crore IndiaAI Mission. In an exclusive interview with businessline, Abhishek Singh, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Electronics and IT (MeitY), who is leading the IndiaAI Mission as the CEO over last nine months, said with the availability of GPUs in India, we may compete with global AI models like ChatGPT or DeepSeek. Edited excerpts:
How important or crucial would these GPUs be in facilitating Indian AI models?
This empanelment is a crucial step in making AI infrastructure accessible to Indian researchers, start-ups and government agencies at reduced cost.
Since these GPUs are available now, our students and researchers can make models on a large-scale instead of working in an adhoc manner by getting free access to some computes available freely. By accessing compute infrastructure at a subsidised cost, they will be able to train it better. Model training doesn’t happen in one go. You have to do multiple runs that entails additional costs. So, if we are able to address this gap, we will be able to succeed. We can hope that somebody comes out with something better than the existing models. It cannot be guaranteed, but the role of the government is to enable people.
What will be the medium for accessing these GPUs?
There will be a common portal (to be launched next week) where these developers can come and say: “I want 1,000 GPUs for 30 days or 15 days or two months or six months,” for foundational models and applications.
Even students can demand applications. People can request how much they want, for what period they want, and the purpose for which they are demanding. Depending on the quantum of requirement, we will assess them immediately after which the approval will be given.
The moment the approval comes, we will decide how much GPUs to provide. There is a criteria, and depending on the demand, levels of approvals will come from the Committee. For instance, if somebody wants GPUs worth ₹100 crore, it may be processed through Ministry level as that involves such a large amount of subsidy.
We have worked on a system in which approvals happen quickly online, but with scrutiny so that there is no misuse of the GPUs. But the moment we say ‘okay’, it will go with the 40 per cent subsidy that the government has decided under the IndiaAI Mission.
Who is going to chair the Committee? Who will be the members for selection process?
It will depend… It will be at different levels. Industry stakeholders and experts like representatives from Nasscom will be there. Ultimately, they have to be there because the government can look into all finances and other things, but not into technicalities. So, it will be ultimately consisting of professors, academicians, researchers, etc, who are experts in this field.
What are India’s aspirations? Do you think we will be able to compete with the likes of ChatGPT, DeepSeek, etc?
It may happen, but we are not saying that ‘it will’ happen.
The point is that once we allow our innovators to build something, they may do something big, and what we have announced today, this may attract some of the Indian origin developers to return to India too and build something big.
In fact, we have been in talks with some very big researchers. This is going to give an opportunity for some of these minds to come together and build something big…it doesn’t take very long.
Has the emergence of DeepSeek now paved the way for Indians to develop similar AI models?
Many Indian developers, entrepreneurs, students now believe that it can be done. If such models can be developed in $5-6 million, it is nothing much. We have so many large technology and telecom firms (like Infosys, TCS, Reliance Jio), and it’s not that we don’t have engineers. Many people across the world are doing it and the code is open source. Our students can also try to make such models.
Would foreign companies or companies that have foreign investments be able to participate in this Mission?
No, this is only for Indian companies. But, we have also said that you need not have incorporated a company to begin with. Initially, even college students who want to create foundational model can join hands and participate in this.
But, if they are selected, then within a month, they should incorporate a company to get the subsidy under the Mission. As students are studying, we can’t tell them to first incorporate a company for which they will have to spend a lot.