Shilong: Union Minister for Electronics and IT Ashwini Vaishnaw said on 3 November that three new data and Artificial Intelligence (AI) laboratories will be set up in Meghalaya as part of the Centre’s push to expand access to emerging technologies across the country.
The upcoming laboratories will be located at ITI Park Shillong, Shillong Polytechnic, and ITI Tura. Meghalaya already hosts one such facility at the National Institute of Electronics and Information Technology (NIELIT) in Shillong.
“Our focus is to make sure that every part of the country gets access to this new technology. Many people today say that, the way electricity is an essential part of our modern-day living, in the same way, AI will become an essential part of our modern-day living,” Vaishnaw said, stressing the need to ensure widespread adoption of AI tools.
He noted that the government aims to establish 570 data and AI laboratories nationwide, with 30 already operational in tier two and tier three cities to train young people. India is also developing sovereign large language models to reduce dependence on foreign platforms, supported by more than 3,800 datasets and over 38,000 GPUs for training.
