The Union government has disbursed ₹276.1 crore to establish four national centres of excellence (CoE) in artificial intelligence (AI), Minister of State for Education Sukanta Majumdar informed the Rajya Sabha. The centres are being set up at IIT Ropar, IIT Kanpur, IISc Bangalore, and IIT Madras to advance AI research and applications across key sectors.
Since March 2025, IIT Kanpur has received ₹74.39 crore, IIT Ropar ₹62.64 crore, IISc Bangalore ₹69.07 crore, and IIT Madras ₹43 crore. Additionally, ₹27 crore was released between March 2023 and March 2025 to a consortium of institutions during a pilot phase for selecting AI-CoEs. The government aims to “Make AI in India and Make AI work for India” through these initiatives, focusing on agriculture, sustainable cities, and healthcare.
The AI centres are collaborating with academic institutions, industry players, and government organisations to publish research papers and develop AI models. IIT Ropar, IIT Kanpur, and IISc Bangalore lead the AI-CoEs in agriculture, sustainable cities, and healthcare respectively, reflecting the government’s strategic push to integrate AI into critical sectors and foster innovation.
The government’s investment follows the Union Budget 2023-24 announcement and marks a significant step in India’s AI ecosystem development. The next phase will likely focus on expanding research outputs and practical AI applications, with the centres expected to play a pivotal role in national AI advancements.