The Karnataka state government has committed to invest Rs.40 crores in setting up a Centre of Excellence (CoE) aimed at developing AI and Data Science capabilities in the state and across the country.

The hub referred to as CoE-DS & AI will be based on a public-private partnership model where NASSCOM will act as the programme and implementation partner.  The state government will provide financial support to the body and also offer non-sensitive information for research.

Priyank Kharge, Karnataka’s IT, Biotechnology and tourism minister was quoted in media saying, “This Centre of Excellence is the logical next step required to provide the right fillip to areas of data science and artificial intelligence and give a head start to not just the state, but India as a destination to develop global product solutions.” He further added that the hub would not accelerate the process of capability building but also create 35,000 job opportunities for AI and Data Science professionals in the next five years.

Bangalore is often regarded as Silicon Valley of India, and the state government has played a significant role in building a robust startup ecosystem by implementing some policies, startup warehouses executed by Nasscom and with financial aid. Some of the initiates taken by the Karnataka government to accelerate entrepreneurship and innovation in the field of technology includes ELEVATE initiative in partnership with the Deshpande Foundation and Tie. The goal of the programme was to identify and support 1,000 startups from smaller cities and towns. The other initiatives include providing $1.4 million funds for women entrepreneurs in March, launched startup-friendly schemes last year in July which included a $60 million fund, and a startup cell in Karnataka Biotechnology, and Information Technology Services. Click here to know more about the policies and schemes.

As per the reports, the proposal has already received cabinet approval. The inauguration of the hub is scheduled in January 2018.