Karnataka Launches KEO: India's First Open-Source AI PC to Bridge Digital Divide

Karnataka Unveils India's First Open-Source AI PC for the Masses | AIM

KEO aims to democratise computing with a locally built, edge-AI machine designed for schools, startups and rural India. Karnataka on Monday unveiled KEO, an AI-powered, fully open-source personal computer developed under the state's electronics, IT & BT department in partnership with the Karnataka State Electronics Development Corporation Ltd (KEONICS). The device, India's most affordable PC with an onboard AI core, marks what the government is calling a milestone in democratising access to computing and artificial intelligence. Ahead of the official launch on November 18 by chief minister Siddaramaiah and deputy CM DK Shivakumar at the Bengaluru Tech Summit, Karnataka IT minister Priyank Kharge called KEO "world's first (such) initiative taken up by a state."Explaining the rationale behind it, Kharge said accessibility to smartphone, internet is more than 90% but when it comes to

Karnataka launches KEO, an affordable AI PC to bridge the digital divide

IT-BT (IT and biotech) minister Priyanak Kharge said these affordable "AI-ready computers" aim to address the digital divide in the state. He added that Karnataka stands at only 15%, far below what's required for modern education and digital-first jobs. The Karnataka government on Monday launched KEO (knowledge-driven, economical, open-source), a personal computer powered by RISC-V processors and a Linux-based operating system. IT-BT (IT and biotech) minister Priyanak Kharge said these affordable "AI-ready computers" aim to address the digital divide in the state. He added that Karnataka stands at only 15%, far below what's required for modern education and digital-first jobs. Positioned as a low-cost, open-source device, KEO comes with 4G, wi-fi, USB-A, USB-C, and HDMI ports, and an audio jack. It also includes an on-device AI core and is preloaded with BUDDH, an AI agent trained on the Karnataka DSERT (department of state education research and training) syllabus to support students in low-connectivity areas. "KEO is not a luxury device; it is an inclusion device," Kharge said, and added that, "Our first 500 units are for B2C, not the government. An eight-member advisory committee, including experts from IISc and IIIT, have tested the device thoroughly." BUDDH currently works in English, however, the department plans to support Kannada over time. The IT-BT department said that the AI model training and deployment involved experts from industry and academia. "We have worked with semiconductor partners, startups, academia, and researchers who specialise in RISC-V and microsystems," said Sharath Kumar Bache Gowda, chairman of KEONICS, a government enterprise. He added that this is the first case globally where an LLM (large language model) has been deployed on an edge device. "We studied 20,000 device deployments across Intel, Apple, and Android systems. A major issue was planned obsolescence, devices became unusable in 3-4 years. Open-source architectures like RISC-V offer much longer life. That's why we moved to open-source hardware and software," Gowda explained. The IT-BT department will procure these computers through contractual manufacturing, by collaborating with startups and semiconductor companies in the state to custom-build the KEO. "Manufacturing will evolve later, the focus now is to create affordable, AI-enabled hardware at scale for grassroots computing. We are already working with a semiconductor and a chip design company. Their names will be revealed after the launch," said Kharge. Chief minister Siddarmaiah will unveil KEO at the Bengaluru Tech Summit, and it will soon be deployed across schools, colleges, government departments, small businesses, and homes, the department said.