Global Tech Titans Eagerly Compete for Rs 10,000 Cr AI Tender as India Amplifies Ambitious AI Mission | Breaking Tech News
Leading technology giants such as Nvidia, Intel, AMD, Qualcomm, Microsoft Azure, Amazon Web Services (AWS), Google Cloud, and Palo Alto Networks are showing remarkable interest in India’s Rs 10,000 crore tender for graphics processing units (GPUs), a central element of the nation’s ambitious Artificial Intelligence (AI) Mission, reports The Economic Times.
During a pre-bid meeting on Thursday organized by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), the interest level was described as “exceptional.” Consequently, the ministry plans to extend the submission deadline by two weeks to address bidder clarifications and suggestions.
MeitY Additional Secretary Abhishek Singh highlighted that around 500 suggestions were generated during this meeting. Major industry representatives from Yotta, L&T, E2E, Tata Communications, and Vigyanlabs also attended.
According to the Request for Empanelment (RFE) guidelines, companies need to either provide a purchase order for 1,000 GPUs or demonstrate stock of the same to qualify for bidding. Concerns from international GPU manufacturers and cloud providers prompted MeitY to consider extending the current September 6 deadline.
Singh emphasized fairness in the RFE towards both large and small companies, addressing concerns about the criteria that seemed to favor larger corporations. He noted that suggestions were made to include a separate category for startups and MSMEs, and to consider low-range GPUs suitable for smaller workloads.
The RFE scoring criteria awards companies based on average annual turnover: Rs 100 crore to Rs 150 crore receives five marks; Rs 150 crore to Rs 200 crore receives 15 marks; and over Rs 200 crore receives 25 marks. Some attendees noted smaller firms may need to collaborate to meet these financial criteria.
Sunil Gupta, CEO of Yotta Data Services, lauded the RFE as visionary, citing Yotta’s investment in 16,000 Nvidia H100 GPUs as indicative of the commitment required for building India’s AI ecosystem. Gupta also highlighted the empanelment framework’s role in fostering collaboration among AI ecosystem stakeholders, ensuring cost-effective GPU capacity in India.
This initiative is poised to significantly propel the growth and capabilities of India’s AI ecosystem.
Original Story https://www.business-standard.com/technology/tech-news/global-tech-leaders-eye-rs-10-000-cr-ai-tender-as-india-expands-ai-mission-124083100179_1.html
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