Lucknow: Uttar Pradesh is set to construct the country’s first AI city in Lucknow, aiming to advance the artificial intelligence (AI) ecosystem. The global AI market size, Grand View Research reported, reached $137 billion in 2022, projected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 37.3% from 2023 to 2030.
Lucknow, already hosting Centres of Excellence in AI and MedTech, including the AI COE at IIIT Lucknow supporting over 15 AI/ML start-ups, is poised to become a hub where innovative ideas thrive and the future workforce is cultivated.
UP Electronics Corporation Ltd., the nodal agency for the project, has issued an Expression of Interest (EoI), inviting real estate developers to build and operate the AI city. The city aims to integrate cutting-edge technology, research centres, and educational institutions, creating an environment fit for creativity and entrepreneurship.
The real estate developer will create office infrastructure utilising a plug-and-play model, along with constructing a tower featuring Grade A office space catering to incubators, start-ups, and corporate entities.
The government will allocate 40 acres in Nadarganj Industrial Area for the project, offering financial incentives to the developer, including one-time Capex support and 100% stamp duty exemption.
The AI city will feature a mix of luxury and affordable housing, promoting a walk-to-work model, dedicated spaces for top engineering and management institutes, and AI-enabled internal modes of transport.
As part of UP’s goal to become a $1 trillion economy within the next 5 years, the state is focusing on core sectors like IT and ITeS. Currently, the sixth-largest state in terms of the IT ecosystem, UP aims to further boost the sector by developing emerging technology hubs in Tier 2 cities like Lucknow. With major IT players such as HCL and TCS already present, the state seeks to leverage AI as a key growth driver for the global IT and ITeS sectors.
The EoI document notes the thriving tech ecosystem supported by a skilled workforce of over 75,000 tech professionals, 23,000 STEM graduates, and 300+ colleges, including renowned institutions like IIM-Lucknow, IIIT-Lucknow, BBDU, and Amity.
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