India International Science Festival: Experts decode ‘future of intelligence’ at panel discussion on AI

Addressing school students, Ahuja said India is preparing to become a global AI leader by 2035, powered by young talent and the country’s data-rich ecosystem. He underscored that the IndiaAI Mission, announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, is designed to train one crore youth in AI, build national computer infrastructure, develop indigenous AI models, and promote responsible and ethical AI.

He noted that IIT Ropar hosts one of India’s three national sectoral AI centres of excellence — focused on agriculture — as part of the Ministry of Education’s initiative to deploy AI solutions in priority sectors such as digital health, smart cities, and agritech.

The IIT Ropar director explained that India’s strength in manpower, data, and scientific curiosity positions the country to become a global hub of semiconductor manufacturing — an essential pillar of the PM’s vision for technological self-reliance and Viksit Bharat.

Industry leaders highlight India’s emerging deep-tech strength

Intel’s Bhatt described how India is rapidly advancing in server design, chip development, and high-performance computing hardware. He cited ongoing collaborations — such as Intel’s partnership with CDAC on the “Rudra” server platform — as examples of how India is transitioning from chip import dependence to indigenous system design and manufacturing.

He noted that dozens of India-based server and data-centre hardware designs are currently underway, reflecting the momentum created by the government’s semiconductor and digital infrastructure push. He encouraged students to remain curious — emphasising that curiosity is the foundation of innovation.

NVIDIA demonstrates AI applications across science and society

NVIDIA’s Rai highlighted how AI is transforming scientific discovery, including drug development, climate modelling, material science, and automotive design.

He explained how GPU-based computing is accelerating national missions — from weather prediction to supercomputing infrastructure — where NVIDIA works closely with Indian research institutions and ministries.

Rai noted that AI is breaking linguistic barriers and supporting India’s diverse population — aligning with the Prime Minister’s vision of technology as a democratising force that benefits every citizen.

Indian-language AI at the heart of digital inclusion

The Sarvam AI co-founder showcased multilingual AI systems being built under the IndiaAI Mission, including India’s first sovereign foundational Large Language Model (LLM) for Indian languages — an initiative selected by the government earlier this year.

Kumar linked the session theme “Vigyan Se Samriddhi” with the role of AI in advancing scientific inquiry, decision-making, and public policy — including applications in agriculture, economics, and climate solutions.

He stressed that AI will become integral to every profession and emphasised the need for India-centric data, models, and linguistic technologies to ensure equitable prosperity — reflecting the PM’s focus on inclusive growth and technology-driven development.

The keynote addresses were followed by a panel featuring Xavier Kurian (Neysa), Ganesh Gopalan (Gnani.ai), and Dr Manish Modani (NVIDIA). Kurian noted that enterprise AI adoption in India is now a necessity rather than an experiment, with BFSI, manufacturing, healthcare, and citizen services rapidly scaling up AI-driven solutions. He emphasised the importance of innovation-driven thinking and applauded the government’s proactive support through the IndiaAI Mission.

Modani highlighted that India’s rapidly expanding HPC and GPU-backed infrastructure is multiplying research output in fields ranging from climate modelling to language technologies. He said India’s data scale, linguistic diversity, and scientific talent uniquely position the nation to lead the global transformation from AI to AGI.

Across all talks, speakers repeatedly stressed that India’s demographic strength, combined with the government’s strong policy support under the leadership of Modi, places the nation on a decisive path toward global leadership in AI and AGI.

Students were encouraged to embrace AI tools, pursue deep-tech fields, and contribute to India’s vision of becoming a knowledge-driven, innovation-led Viksit Bharat by 2047.