Telangana's Ambitious AI Strategy: Aiming for Global Tech Dominance

Telangana IT Minister Unveils 3-Pronged Strategy for Global Tech Stage Dominance

Hyderabad: The Telangana govt is working on a three-pronged strategy focused on centres of excellence (CoE), making AI work for grassroots, and building trust in AI to steer Telangana towards its ambitious goal of emerging as a $1 trillion economy in the near future, Telangana IT and Industries minister Duddilla Sridhar Babu said here on Friday. Speaking on Day Two of the Telangana Global AI Summit, the minister said while the vertical-specific CoEs will sharpen focus on critical sectors such as cybersecurity, semiconductors, finance, driving innovation and growth across these industries, the govt will drive AI for grassroots by expanding AI innovation centres to tier-2 and 3 cities to ensure that AI-driven growth percolates to every nook and corner of the state. "The AI for grassroots initiative aims to bridge the urban-rural divide and create new opportunities for communities state-wide," he explained. He said the state govt will also implement comprehensive frameworks for AI governance to ensure transparency, accountability, and ethical AI development. "These measures will safeguard citizens while promoting responsible AI innovations," he said. He said: "Our vision for AI is based on the belief that every citizen should have access to the fruits of this innovation. From empowering grassroots initiatives to advancing industrial growth, AI will be a transformative force in Telangana," he said. "Our goal is to democratise AI, ensuring its benefits are equitably distributed across sectors," he said. With 70% of companies globally allocating more than 20% of their IT budgets to digital and emerging technologies in the global shift towards AI, the minister said Telangana is uniquely positioned to capitalise on this momentum. "The Global AI Summit 2024 is not just an event that you are witnessing today. It is and shall become a pivotal milestone in our journey to establish Telangana on the global AI stage. The future is unequivocally AI-powered and Telangana is leading the way," said Babu, not only inviting academia, industry, startups, and policymakers to join Telangana in its transformative journey but also the global Telugu diaspora.

Telangana doubles down on AI focus with its Global AI Summit

At the heart of Telangana's AI strategy is the establishment of the AI City, a 200-acre hub near Hyderabad, dedicated to AI research, development, and application. He said the project would place Telangana at the epicentre of global AI innovation, offering cutting-edge compute facilities, expansive data lakes, and robust connectivity.Telangana is looking at its AI City as being the 'cradle of ground-breaking advancements,' the state's IT Minister Duddila Sridhar Babu said at the two-day Global AI Summit being held in Hyderabad. The government entered into 26 Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) with private players including academic institutions, big-tech companies, startups, and not-for-profit organizations. The government said these MoUs were signed across various dimensions required to make Telangana an AI Superpower in the country. The MoUs were signed majorly in seven areas - compute infrastructure, centres of excellence, skilling, impact assessment, startup innovation, generative AI, research and collaboration, and data annotation. At the heart of Telangana's AI strategy is the establishment of the AI City, a 200-acre hub near Hyderabad, dedicated to AI research, development, and application. He said the project would place Telangana at the epicentre of global AI innovation, offering cutting-edge compute facilities, expansive data lakes, and robust connectivity. "Telangana is not merely participating in this revolution but leading it," Babu said in his keynote address. "This AI City will be the cradle of ground-breaking advancements, solidifying our status as a technological powerhouse. We also plan to launch an AI school in our AI city." In the interim, Telangana has partnered with the World Trade Centre, Shamshabad, to provide 2 lakh square feet of office space for AI-driven companies, ensuring they can commence operations while the AI City takes shape. Babu also laid special emphasis on the importance of ethical governance in AI development. He said Telangana was committed to establishing a robust AI governance framework that balances innovation with ethical responsibility. He spoke of crowdsourcing AI policies from global experts and the public to as a fresh way to draft AI policy in the country. "We are not creating these policies in isolation," he explained. "By inviting diverse voices from around the world, we ensure that our AI policies are not only cutting-edge but also grounded in a wide range of perspectives." He said the framework would also include stringent regulations to prevent AI misuse, such as deep fakes and AI-driven misinformation. "We will follow Japan's example of balancing ethical AI," he said. Telangana's AI strategy is supported by partnerships with leading universities and corporations, fostering an environment where AI research thrives. The state aims to democratize data access, making anonymized government data widely available to fuel AI innovation while maintaining stringent data privacy and security measures. The minister also outlined plans to make Telangana's other districts key contributors to the state's economic growth. This initiative aligns with the state's overarching goal of becoming a $1 trillion economy in the near future and a $3 trillion economy within the next decade. Telangana CM A Revanth Reddy was also present at the inauguration and in his address he said Hyderabad is uniquely positioned to lead in the AI era. "As India missed previous industrial revolutions, Telangana is poised to embrace and shape the future of AI," he said. "Our commitment to AI is strong, with initiatives like Telangana AI Mission (T-AIM) in partnership with Nasscom, laying a robust framework for our future. With today's summit, Hyderabad declares its readiness to drive AI innovation and set new standards. The future of AI starts here."

Telangana mulling separate AI policy: IT minister Duddilla Sridhar Babu | Hyderabad News - Times of India

HYDERABAD: Telangana, which is gearing up to come out with a new IT policy, is mulling a separate artificial intelligence (AI) policy given the state govt's sharpening focus on 'making AI work for everyone', Telangana IT and industries minister Duddilla Sridhar Babu indicated here on the sidelines of the Global Telangana AI Summit that kicked off on Thursday. Stressing the need for AI to be meaningful for each and every citizen of the state, country, and world, Sridhar Babu said the govt was looking in detail at how AI can impact the lives of citizens and what should be the role of the govt and the regulatory framework for it. "As a policymaker, what should govt do to put in place a regulatory mechanism and also differentiate between the good and bad, ethical or unethical aspects of AI? We have an IT policy and we are looking at whether we should integrate it into the IT policy or have a separate AI policy," the minister said. He said the govt was working on the new IT policy and the ongoing AI summit deliberations with global experts would help show the govt the way forward in navigating the world of the future driven by AI. On how achievable the ambitious targets of $1 trillion economy in the near future were, the minister said the state was growing at about 12% currently and the govt was confident of scaling this up to 14%-15% over the next couple of years and taking a big leap thereafter driven by AI. Earlier at the inaugural, Cyient founder and past Nasscom chairman BVR Mohan Reddy mooted the creation of a 'Translational Research Office for AI' to ensure that the research being conducted by academic and R&D institutions in the state translates to address real problems and find solutions to local problems that create social impact. On the occasion, CM Revanth Reddy also released a report - AI Powered Telangana Strategy Document and Implementation Roadmap - which identified six key pillars to enable an AI-powered Telangana in the next three years.

Telangana Sharpens Focus On AI With Global Summit, Inks 26 Pacts

Fostering a fresh way to draft AI policy in the country, Babu spoke of crowdsourcing AI policies from global experts and the public With Telangana doubling down on its AI strategy, the state's IT minister Duddila Sridhar Babu said that it is looking at its AI City as the 'cradle of ground-breaking advancements.' He added that the government plans to launch an AI school in the AI city, the Economic Times reported. The minister during the Global AI Summit in Hyderabad added that the government has signed 26 memorandum of understanding (MoUs) with private players, including academic institutions, big tech companies, startups, and non-profit organisations. The MoU covered various areas essential for positioning Telangana as an AI superpower in India. The key focus areas include compute infrastructure, centres of excellence, skilling, impact assessment, startup innovation, generative AI, research and collaboration and data annotation. At the core of Telangana's AI initiative is the creation of AI City, a 200-acre hub near Hyderabad dedicated to AI research, development, and application. The project aims to position Telangana as a global leader in AI innovation by offering state-of-the-art computing facilities, vast data resources, and strong connectivity. Underlining the importance of ethical practices, the minister said that Telangana was committed to establishing a robust AI governance framework that balances innovation with ethical responsibility. Fostering a fresh way to draft AI policy in the country, Babu spoke of crowdsourcing AI policies from global experts and the public. Babu also outlined the intent to include stringent regulations in the framework to prevent AI misuse, such as deep fakes and AI-driven misinformation. "We will follow Japan's example of balancing ethical AI," he said. It is pertinent to note that this initiative is in alignment with the state's broader goal of becoming a $1 Tn economy in the near future and a $3 Tn economy within the next decade. This comes on the sidelines of social media juggernaut Meta, Nazara announcing a partnership with the Telangana government to ramp up AI technologies. Before that, tech giants like AWS and Apple also made commitments towards investing in the state. This comes against the backdrop of a broader push from the centre towards India's AI and deeptech ecosystem. For context, in March, the Union Cabinet approved an outlay of INR 10,372 Cr for five years for the India AI Mission, aiming to foster innovation in the sector through public-private partnerships (PPPs). Meanwhile, India is currently home to over 100 generative AI startups. These startups have also attracted a lot of investor interest. The Indian AI startups have raised over $600 Mn in funding since 2019. Spearheading this transition are names like SarvamAI and Krutrim, which are focused on building Indic LLMs. However, the capital intensity nature, long gestation period and infrastructure remain the most challenging hurdle for the AI industry in India.

Telangana Government Aims for $3 Trillion Economy with AI | Hyderabad News - Times of India

Hyderabad: A $3 trillion economy in the next decade powered by Artificial Intelligence is the audacious target the Telangana govt has set itself, said IT & industries minister Duddilla Sridhar Babu on Thursday. Flagging off the Telangana Global AI Summit, he said, "The vision of chief minister Revanth Reddy and our govt is to see that we make all our 33 districts growth engines that contribute to our overarching goal of becoming a $1 trillion economy in the near future and a $3 trillion economy in the next decade." With India's AI on a steep upward trajectory projected to grow at a CAGR of 25%-35% over the next three to four years, Telangana is gunning to position itself to harness this growth, he said. "Our state stands as a beacon of growth with an 11.3% year-on-year economic growth rate and gross state domestic product (GSDP) of $176 billion with the highest per capita income in the country at $4,160. Our vision is to elevate Telangana into a $1 trillion dollar economy in the near future. In this context, our journey into AI is not just a natural progression to take a leap into the future." While admitting it is an ambitious target, he said: "This is not just a vision or a dream but a plan backed by strategic investments, robust infrastructure and unyielding focus on innovation. This is more than our goal. It is our collective destiny. A future where every citizen benefits from advancements we pioneer and where Telangana stands as a global beacon of progress and innovation." The govt also unveiled its vision for the 200-acre AI City with a dedicated ecosystem for AI research, development and applications. It inked 26 MoUs with global tech giants such as OpenAI, Meta, NVIDIA, AWS and Microsoft and local players such as Yotta Data Services and C-DAC, among others. Terming AI as the greatest tech innovation that will change the world, CM Revanth Reddy said: "If we think of India's future, no other city is as ready for a revolution as Hyderabad. In our city we not only appreciate the future but also create it." He added, "We have already taken big steps for AI. We want to lay a strong foundation for our Telangana AI Mission in partnership with Nasscom, which will help us implement the AI framework in the state." He said the AI summit was just Telangana govt's declaration of its plan to bring all stakeholders, govt, industry and academia together to drive innovation. "We will create AI's future and set standards. I welcome all of you to the city of the future. Let us all come together and script a great new future," the CM said.

Telangana unveils AI City project

The Telangana government has unveiled its plan to build a 200-acre AI City with an aim to become a global hub for artificial intelligence. Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy has launched the logo for the project after inaugurating the two-day Global AI Summit at the Hyderabad International Convention Centre. Telangana IT Minister Duddila Sridhar Babu said that the State was not merely participating in the AI. "We are leading it. This is backed by a robust growth of 11.3 per cent in the Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP) of $176 billion," he said. "The AI City would focus on research, development, and application. It will promote ground-breaking innovations in the field of AI. We will also set up an AI School in the AI city," the minister declared. As the work begins on the AI City, the State government tied up with the World Trade Centre, Shamshabad, to provide 2 lakh square feet of office space for AI-driven companies, ensuring they can commence operations swiftly while the AI City takes shape. Earlier addressing the gathering, the Chief Minister acknowledged the concerns around job losses. "Uncertainties and apprehensions are common when a new technology is introduced," he said. He said the Telangana AI Mission and Nasscom would help the government in implementing the AI framework in the State. "We will work with the stakeholders as we lay strong foundations for a thriving AI ecosystem," he said. Partnerships In order to promote the AI sector in the State, the government entered into 26 memoranda of understanding with various companies, start-ups and organisations, in the areas of computer infrastructure, start-up innovation, Generative AI, research and collaboration, skilling and data annotation. Sridhar Babu said the government would put in place an AI governance framework to ensure ethical governance in AI development. The framework will also include stringent regulations to prevent AI misuse, such as deep fakes and AI-driven misinformation, safeguarding democratic processes. "We will follow Japan's example of balancing ethical AI," he said. The government would work with PATH and Nazara Technologies to build Centres of Excellence that would focus on promoting AI in crucial and emerging areas in the State. It also signed agreements with NxtWave, Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Microsoft to develop talent and promote skill development among the youth. This is expected to benefit over 2.5 lakh students and professionals. A three-year agreement was signed with Nvidia Corporation to accelerate AI adoption in the State. It will work with the Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL), a global research centre, to establish an AI Research Lab. It would help leverage AI to improve governance services and processes. SHARE Copy linkEmailFacebookTwitterTelegramLinkedInWhatsAppRedditPublished on September 5, 2024

Except Hyderabad, no other city is prepared to promote AI: Revanth

Telangana chief minister A Revanth Reddy on Thursday announced that the state government will soon launch an artificial intelligence mission in order to leverage the power of AI in all fields. Reddy made the announcement during the inauguration of the two-day Telangana Global AI Summit at the Hyderabad International Convention Centre. He said the role of technology and innovation were significant factors in bringing a transformation in the society. "We should not expect a change without technological development. AI is the best innovation in the world of technology today. There are some apprehensions and uncertainty when such technology is invented. A fear of losing jobs is also common. But we all should think about the future of India and accept the challenges to create a bright future for the next generation," he said. Stating that except Hyderabad, no other city is fully prepared to promote artificial intelligence, Revanth Reddy said his government was committed to promote the new technology in a big way. "Our government has already initiated a slew of measures for the use of artificial intelligence. We want to lay a strong foundation for our future in the field of artificial intelligence," he said. In this regard, the chief minister announced the launch of the Telangana AI Mission (TAIM) in partnership with NASSCOM (National Association of Software and Service Companies), which will assist the government in implementing the AI framework in the Telangana state. "Our government will move forward to develop innovations in AI in coordination with industry experts," he said. Delivering the keynote address, state information technology minister Duddila Sridhar Babu outlined Telangana's ambitious vision of making Hyderabad an AI hub. "At the heart of Telangana's AI strategy is the establishment of the AI City, a 200-acre hub near Hyderabad, dedicated to AI research, development, and application," he said. The minister said the AI City would place Telangana at the epicentre of global AI innovation, offering cutting-edge computing facilities, expansive data lakes, and robust connectivity. "This AI City will be the cradle of ground-breaking advancements, solidifying our status as a technological powerhouse. We also plan to launch an AI school in the city," he declared. Sridhar Babu further said the Telangana government had partnered with the World Trade Centre Shamshabad to provide 200,000 square feet of world-class office space for AI-driven companies, ensuring they can commence operations swiftly while the AI City takes shape. "As part of creating AI-powered Telangana, the state government entered into 26 Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) with reputed players in the private ecosystem including academic institutions, big-tech companies, startups, and not-for-profit organizations. These MoUs were signed across various dimensions required to make Telangana an AI superpower in the country," he added. The minister said the AI framework will also include stringent regulations to prevent AI misuse, such as deep fakes and AI-driven misinformation, safeguarding democratic processes. "We will follow Japan's example of balancing ethical AI," he said. On this occasion, the chief minister unveiled a roadmap for the development of AI in Telangana. He also released a book titled Poor Economics and held discussions with the industry leaders. Over 2,000 delegates from different countries are taking part in the two-day conference with the main theme "Making AI work for everyone", to share thoughts, vision, and ideas for the development of the AI sector, an official note said.

Strategy document to transform Telangana into an AI-powered State unveiled

A strategy document and roadmap to transform Telangana into an AI-powered State was launched by Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy at the inaugural session of the two-day global Artificial Summit here on Thursday. Primarily, the State will be pursuing a six-point agenda, including setting for itself a goal of delivering AI-driven services to more than one crore people in sectors such as agriculture, health, education and mobility by 2027, IT and Industries Secretary Jayesh Ranjan said on the strategy. In all government offices, AI nodal officers are proposed to be appointed as a facilitation measure to ensure that the deliverables are achieved, the senior official said, pointing to how this is one concept that has proved challenging for the Central government. The State government also intends to promote the development of datasets and models that allow AI to account for State-specific nuances, including language and culture, since solutions developed using these assets will be more efficient, accurate, and cost-effective, especially when deployed at a population scale. Apart from improving dataset quality, data annotation hubs are to be established to cater to the annotation needs of not just the State but the country at large. The government will also launch Telangana Data Exchange Platform (TGDex) thus enabling access to quality data for innovators in the ecosystem and fuelling AI-powered innovation through a collaborative approach, the document showed. The State government will facilitate access to compute capacity through hyperscalers. The government departments and selected early-stage start-ups are to be provided subsidised access to compute capacity to level the playing field for innovation, specifically for socially conscious solutions. All demographic groups in the State will be empowered with AI and Generative AI powered solutions to improve their quality of living. To cater to the growing demand for AI professionals in the job market, the State will train five lakh professionals in AI specialisations by 2027 through a mix of formal education and digital initiatives. AI curriculum will be introduced in senior secondary public schools to democratise access to AI skills and careers from an early age, according to the document. A key component of the strategy will be proposed AI City, a future ready facility proposed near Hyderabad to play host to multinational corporations, research institutions and start-ups. Published - September 06, 2024 12:25 am IST Read Comments

Revanth Reddy reaffirms Telangana's commitment to AI

A two-day Global AI Summit of the Telangana government got under way on September 5 with Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy reaffirming the State's commitment to make most of the power of Artificial Intelligence and positioning Hyderabad as a future-ready city. "If we think of India's future, no city is as perfectly ready for it as Hyderabad. In our city, we not only embrace future, but also create it," he told the event in which the State government outlined a roadmap for shaping AI through the proposed AI City, near here, as well as deploying the emerging technology to improve delivery of services to more than one crore citizens by 2027. Stating that nothing changes society and lives of people as much as technology and innovation, the Chief Minister said "when any new technology comes, it brings both hope and fear. Hope of how it will make our life better, and fear of job losses, disruption." He said this seeking to caution against India missing the AI revolution. Telangana's commitment to AI is not new. "We have already taken big steps for AI... want to lay a strong foundation for our future," he asserted. Aspire to lead IT and Industries Minister D. Sridhar Babu told the gathering that Telangana intends to not merely participate in the AI revolution but also play a leadership role. With it's "unwavering commitment to technology and innovation would like to lead and will lead the revolution," he said. Highlighting the State's 11.3% year-on-year rate of economic growth, a projected Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP) of $176 billion and highest per capita income of $4,160, the Minister reiterated the goal of transforming Telangana into a trillion-dollar economy in near future and $3 trillion within a decade. At the core of the State's AI strategy will be the proposed AI City on 200 acres near Hyderabad, dedicated to AI research and development as well as application. The AI City will be the "cradle of ground-breaking advancements, solidifying our status as a technological powerhouse. We also plan to launch an AI school in our AI City", he said. The State government has partnered with World Trade Centre, Shamshabad, to provide 2 lakh square feet of office space for AI-driven companies, ensuring they can commence operations swiftly while the AI City takes shape. Crowdsource ideas Stressing the importance of a collaborative approach to create an AI framework and ethical use of the technology, he said the State will invite global AI experts to work with it in shaping the policies as well as crowd source ideas and solutions from academia, industry and public. Telangana aspires to be at a forefront of AI advancements with this strategy. "We will also implement stringent regulations to prevent misuse of AI such as deepfakes and AI-driven misinformation thereby protecting individuals, institutions and democratic processes. For this we will take the help of premier educational institutions," he said, adding AI will be leveraged for sustainable development. IT industry leader and former chairman of Nasscom B.V.R. Mohan Reddy underscored the need to incorporate concepts of AI in the education system, setting up of more incubation centres as well as a translational research office for AI. Published - September 06, 2024 01:04 am IST Read Comments