India democratizing AI with subsidised GPU access: Vaishnaw at WEF

Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, on Wednesday, while speaking at the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, said India is democratizing Artificial Intelligence (AI) by offering government-subsidised GPU access.

“India is democratizing AI by offering government-subsidised GPU access at one-third of the global cost, free AI models for common needs, training 10 million people in AI skills, and steering the IT industry toward scalable AI services for India and the world,” he said.

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The minister highlighted that the AI regulation must follow a techno-legal approach, not just standalone laws, stressing the need for robust technical tools to address risks such as bias and deepfakes, including detection systems accurate enough to stand judicial scrutiny.

“India is developing technologies to mitigate bias, enable reliable deepfake detection, and ensure proper unlearning before AI models are deployed,” he said.

The minister also emphasized India’s systematic approach to AI adoption, which is to overcome GPU scarcity.

He said the government has established a public-private partnership with 38,000 GPUs as a common compute facility, accessible to students, researchers, and startups at roughly one-third the global cost, unlike many countries where big tech controls GPU access.

Further, the minister highlights the economics of the Fifth Industrial Revolution.

“ROI will come from deploying cost-effective solutions. Large AI models don’t always need expensive GPUs, smaller models can suffice using widely available CPUs, reducing dependency on specific countries and minimizing geopolitical risks,” he said.

Earlier, in a social media post on X, the Vaishnaw said, “Bharat is building a complete semiconductor ecosystem covering design, fabrication, packaging, materials, gases and equipment. Global industry sees Bharat as an increasingly reliable supply chain partner.”

He also highlighted the recent engagement with Google saying it is strengthening its commitment to India’s AI ecosystem, including a $15B AI data centre in Vizag & partnerships with Indian startups.