India’s first sovereign AI Park: Tamil Nadu, Sarvam AI seal Rs 10,000 crore MoU
Tamil Nadu has signed a ₹10,000 crore MoU with Sarvam AI to build India's first Sovereign AI Park in Chennai. The project will create a full-stack AI ecosystem covering data, compute and model development within a state-controlled framework.
New Delhi: Tamil Nadu has made a significant step in developing its own artificial intelligence backbone. To install the first full-stack Sovereign AI Park in Chennai, the state government has signed a Rs 10,000 crore MoU with Sarvam AI. The project seeks to have data, computing capacity and AI models managed inside a state-controlled structure, enhancing digital sovereignty.
It was signed in the presence of Chief Minister M.K. Stanley and the Industries Minister T.R.B. Rajaa. It is estimated that the park will generate approximately 1,000 highly skilled positions and make Tamil Nadu one of the main centres of AI research and implementation in India.
A dedicated AI district in Chennai
The Sovereign AI Park will be an artificial district constructed on design. It will have the high-performance computing, secure data systems, AI model labs, and startup zones located in a single location. The rationale is to make sure that all the data storage as well as the AI deployment occurs within the legal and security framework of the state.
An Institute of AI in Governance will be present in the park. The given centre is aimed at developing AI applications in serving the population and adhering to the principles of data protection and ethics.
Supporting the public sector and key industries
The state government will rely on the AI park to facilitate education, agriculture, healthcare, and citizen services projects. By moving data and models to Tamil Nadu, the officials feel that they can enhance the security levels and still utilise advanced AI systems at scale.
Such a full-stack architecture will enable the researcher and developers to train and execute AI models without relying on external infrastructure or cloud services.
Sarvam AI’s role and national mandate
Sarvam AI is an Indian-based, homegrown generative AI firm with Indian language and application. It creates massive language models, voice systems and translation applications to suit local requirements.
The company was also chosen in the IndiaAI Mission of the central government to build the first sovereign large language model in India. This work has been facilitated by providing it with access to high-performance computing.
Sarvam AI was launched in 2023 by Pratyush Kumar and Vivek Raghavan and is expected to launch its first sovereign AI models by mid-February. These models would be trained and implemented in totality in the Indian data and regulatory framework.
After its launch, the Sovereign AI Park should be able to draw in startups, research, and governmental initiatives. Tamil Nadu is optimistic that it will emerge as the primary centre of massive AI and government innovation in the country.