India plans to establish over 500 data labs under the IndiaAI Mission to strengthen AI infrastructure and talent development, announced IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on September 18 at the pre-event of the AI Impact Summit 2026. The initiative is part of the government’s broader push to build sovereign AI capabilities, including large language models (LLMs), specialized GPUs, and AI-focused skilling programs.
As part of the mission, eight organizations have been selected to develop LLMs, including Tech Mahindra, Fractal Analytics, and the IIT Bombay Consortium BharatGen. The IIT Bombay-led LLM is expected to feature 1 trillion parameters, with financial support of Rs 988.6 crore from the IndiaAI Mission. These sovereign LLMs are being designed to process Indian languages and datasets, reducing reliance on global AI models.
Vaishnaw highlighted the importance of sector-specific small language models (SLMs) targeting critical areas such as agriculture, weather forecasting, manufacturing, logistics, and transportation. Additionally, an AI governance framework is slated for release within 10 days by MeitY and the Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser.
To enhance computational capacity, the mission currently has 34,000 GPUs and plans to explore adding 10,000 more GPUs. These GPUs are vital for training and deploying AI models efficiently. The government also plans to support AI startups and accelerators, ensuring a collaborative ecosystem for innovation.
The IndiaAI Mission, approved earlier this year with a Rs 10,300-crore outlay, represents a strategic effort to develop India’s sovereign AI infrastructure, train models on local datasets, and create applications that cater to national priorities. By fostering homegrown talent, technology, and research, the initiative aims to position India as a global leader in artificial intelligence while addressing domestic challenges across multiple sector
