The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has issued a Request for Empanelment (RFE) to AI compute providers to supply up to 10,000 AI Computing Units (AICU) under the IndiaAI Mission. This initiative aims to provide dedicated AI computing power to ministries, departments, academia, research institutions, startups, and industry across India, according to medianama.com.
The Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC), operating under MeitY, is the implementing agency for this mission. The RFE defines AI Computing Units as GPUs, TPUs, accelerators, and similar hardware used for AI workloads. The procurement will be based on demand received from various government and non-government entities, with C-DAC authorized to scale up the total supply as required.
This move follows a recent MeitY tender that sought AI-capable companies to supply AI/ML professionals for a Unified AI Team tasked with developing AI-driven services across Digital India platforms such as UMANG and DigiLocker. The IndiaAI Mission's focus on expanding AI infrastructure aligns with India's broader push towards dedicated AI regulations and strengthening AI capabilities in public and private sectors.
The tender document for the AI compute units was published this week, marking a significant step in India's AI infrastructure development. C-DAC's role as the implementing agency ensures centralized coordination for distributing the AI compute resources across multiple sectors.