India to Develop Indigenous GPUs within 3-4 Years, Says IT Minister

The country is set to produce its own graphics processing units (GPUs) in the next three to four years, signifying a significant achievement in technological progress, stated electronics and IT minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Thursday.

“We are working on developing our own chipsets. Extensive consultations with experts are underway. In the coming three to four years, India will have its own GPUs, competing globally and securing a place among the top five technology nations in the world,” Vaishnaw said at the launch of the IndiaAI Datasets – AI Kosha and AI compute platforms.

The effort to create domestic GPUs is important because the worldwide AI chip industry is presently led by companies from the US. Moreover, in light of possible US limitations on AI chip exports, India's ability to create indigenous GPUs will be vital for achieving technological independence.

The alternative platform that was also introduced – the AI compute platform – will allow startups, researchers, and educational institutions to utilize GPUs at a reasonable hourly cost. “The IndiaAI mission was started a year ago, and today, we have a common compute facility with 14,000 GPUs up and running,” Vaishnaw said. He added that more GPUs would be added every quarter by impanelled companies.

At present, ten firms, such as Jio Platforms, E2E, NxtGen, Yotta, and Tata Communications, have been approved to deliver AI computing infrastructure.

Vaishnaw stated that India's strategy is unique since it utilizes public funds to establish a communal computing facility, unlike other nations where AI computing capabilities are held by a small number of major companies.

To enhance the accessibility of AI computation, the government is providing a 40% subsidy, reducing the cost of GPU access for researchers and startups to below Rs 100 per hour.