Meghalaya to get three new data, AI laboratories: IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw

Guwahati: Union Minister of Information Technology Ashwini Vaishnaw on Wednesday announced the establishment of three data and Artificial Intelligence (AI) laboratories in Meghalaya, aimed at making technology more accessible to citizens across India.

The announcement was made virtually during the Regional Artificial Intelligence Summit held in the state.

The new centres will be set up at ITI Park, Shillong Polytechnic, and ITI Tura.

Meghalaya already has an operational facility at the National Institute of Electronics and Information Technology (NIELIT), Shillong.

Vaishnaw emphasised that AI, like electricity, will become an essential part of modern life, and efforts are being made to ensure its benefits reach every citizen.

He said the government’s plan includes creating 570 data and AI laboratories across the country, with 30 already established in tier-2 and tier-3 cities to train young people.

The minister highlighted India’s efforts to develop sovereign large language models (LLMs) to reduce reliance on foreign technology companies.

He noted that over 3,800 datasets will be created and more than 38,000 Graphic Processing Units (GPUs) will be used to train AI models.

He also mentioned that the AI mission has been allocated Rs 10,300 crore over the next five years to expand technological access and support nationwide innovation.