Karnataka to set up AI University, to roll out tech expansion policy in 100 days
Karnataka Chief Minister DK Shivakumar on Friday said the state government will expand world-class infrastructure beyond Bengaluru, set up an AI University with industry participation
Karnataka Chief Minister DK Shivakumar on Friday said the state government will expand world-class infrastructure beyond Bengaluru, set up an AI University with industry participation, and roll out new policies to strengthen the technology ecosystem. He also asked industry leaders to work with the government in shaping Karnataka’s next phase of growth. Addressing CEOs at a breakfast meeting, Shivakumar said Bengaluru’s biggest strength lies in its talent pool and innovation ecosystem, and credited the city’s rise as India’s technology capital to the people and companies based there. Read Full Story "You are the ambassadors of Bengaluru. You are the ambassadors of Karnataka," he told industry leaders, adding that many who came to the city decades ago stayed because of the opportunities and talent it offers. Among those present at the meeting were IT/BT and Home Minister Priyank Kharge, MLA and Karnataka State Electronics Development Corporation Limited Chairman Sharath Bache Gowda, Biocon founder Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, Infosys co-founder Kris Gopalakrishnan, and senior bureaucrats. Highlighting Karnataka’s economic performance, Shivakumar said software exports had crossed Rs 4.36 lakh crore and were expected to go beyond Rs 5.5 lakh crore this year.
"Behind every number is a young engineer getting a first job, a developer solving problems, and a family moving closer to its dreams," he said in a release. He added that the state’s Global Capability Centres had moved beyond back-office work to become hubs of innovation, product development and high-value work. Recalling his interactions with global leaders at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Shivakumar said companies continued to prefer Bengaluru for its talent, ecosystem and cost advantages. "Many states are competing, but companies tell us that if it costs them USD 3.50 elsewhere, they can achieve the same here at nearly USD 1 because of Bengaluru’s talent, ecosystem and human capital," he said. He announced that within the next 100 days, the government would bring in a policy to encourage industries to set up operations outside Bengaluru by offering world-class office infrastructure at highly affordable costs, including office space in other Karnataka cities for as little as fifty cents per square foot. He said the government had already introduced new IT, Space Technology and Startup policies focused on DeepTech, digital infrastructure, research, industry-academia collaboration and entrepreneurship, and that Karnataka had also launched its Quantum Roadmap to speed up the commercialisation of emerging technologies.
The BriefWire