Nvidia will be interested in India'a AI Mission if there is an opportunity, says company's South Asia MD

By Prabhakar Chaturvedi

New Delhi: Affirming the company's interest in India's AI Mission, Nvidia's Managing Director (MD) of Asia South, Vishal Dhupar, stated that if there is an opportunity, Nvidia, like any other player, will be interested in India's AI Mission.

In an interaction with ANI, Nvidia's MD of Asia South said, "If you have an opportunity, and you want to work there, then you will go and apply for it."

When asked about the number of deals the company is engaged in, Dhupar mentioned they are in talks with "several" companies in the country for GPUs.

Dhupar was in Delhi on Friday to sign an MOU with a private institute, supported technically by the Nvidia AI University program.

India's dedicated AI mission is under consideration. Speaking at the inaugural event of the Global India AI Summit 2024 in the national capital, Union IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said that the government will roll out the India AI Mission in the next two or three months, during which the government will help domestic companies procure computing power units to run artificial intelligence (AI) systems.

While announcing the India AI Mission, the Union Minister said, "We will procure 10,000 or more graphics processing units (GPUs) under a public-private partnership so that the efficiencies of the industry can be harnessed for a bigger cause."

In March this year, the government approved the Rs 10,372-crore India AI Mission, under which the government will deploy 10,000 GPUs through public-private partnerships. The mission is expected to enhance investments in the AI sector and help companies set up data centers in India.

GPUs are specialized processors that accelerate the rendering of graphics and images through rapid mathematical computations essential for AI processing.

Speaking at the same event, MeitY Additional Secretary Abhishek Singh said, "We have almost 5,000 crore earmarked for providing more than 10,000 GPUs that are required to support the creation of compute capacity under the mission."

He added that the central government is in the process of floating tenders for procuring compute capacity from different companies. He further indicated that the government will provide subsidies for accessing the chips.

Discussing the company's efforts to expand its market in India through collaborations with Indian companies and educational institutions, Dhupar told ANI, "The purpose of Nvidia is to tackle complex problems; by engaging with these challenges, we aim to not only find solutions but also create impactful innovations that can open new markets."

Nvidia has gained a reputation for making some of the best GPUs in the world, ideal for supporting new technologies in the field of AI.

The company has seen huge demand for its chips, driving its market value to USD 3.16 trillion, making it the third most valuable company after Microsoft and Apple.

Many Indian companies, such as Reliance Group, Tata Group, and Yotta Infrastructure, have struck deals with Nvidia for its GPUs.