India’s IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw has exciting news for the tech world: the government plans to set up over 500 data labs across the country under the India AI Mission. This move aims to boost artificial intelligence (AI) talent and build strong AI infrastructure right here in India.
Vaishnaw shared these details at a pre-event for the AI Impact Summit 2026. He explained that the India AI Mission is picking up speed, with eight new companies on board to create large language models (LLMs). These include big names like Tech Mahindra, Fractal Analytics, and a consortium led by IIT Bombay called BharatGen.
The government is investing big—Rs 988.6 crore goes to the IIT Bombay team to build an LLM with a massive 1 trillion parameters. For those new to this, parameters are like the brain’s building blocks in AI; they help models learn patterns and relationships from huge amounts of data.
The India AI Mission is the government’s bold push to create homegrown AI power. It focuses on AI apps for key sectors, sovereign LLMs (built on Indian data and languages to cut reliance on foreign tech), high-powered GPUs, and training programs for young talent. Approved earlier this year, the mission has a whopping Rs 10,300 crore budget.
In more updates, Vaishnaw said the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) and the Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser will roll out a new AI framework in just ten days. This will guide how AI develops safely and effectively in India.
The mission isn’t stopping at big models. Teams are also working on smaller, industry-specific language models (SLMs) for areas like manufacturing, logistics, transportation, agriculture, and even weather forecasting. These tailored AIs could transform everyday industries.
Right now, India has about 34,000 GPUs ready for the mission—these are the super-fast chips that power AI training. But Vaishnaw instructed India AI Mission CEO Abhishek Singh to explore adding another 10,000 GPUs to ramp things up.
Vaishnaw stressed the need for global AI governance rules to keep things ethical worldwide. However, he added that agreeing on an international framework might take time.
At its core, the mission’s sovereign LLMs will help India stand on its own in AI, reducing dependence on global systems. With these steps, India is gearing up to lead in artificial intelligence innovation. Stay tuned for the AI framework launch soon!
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