AI Kiran, a Kirthiga Reddy initiative with government and industry support, will empower 1 million Indian women in AI (artificial intelligence) through mentorship, learning, global exposure, blockchain-verified recognition, and key partnerships to build women leaders.

Fifteen years ago, Kirthiga Reddy became the first Indian leader at a major US tech firm, heading Facebook India (now Meta). Her subsequent roles as SoftBank’s first female AI investing partner, managing over $130 billion, showcased her exceptional capabilities and unwavering belief in women’s potential and the importance of inclusive leadership.

Kirthiga Reddy, CEO of Verix, is launching ‘AI Kiran’ on UN Creativity and Innovation Day to globally showcase and support Indian women in AI with connectivity, funding, and mentorship, tackling their underrepresentation in GenAI (33% women in junior roles, 19% in senior roles).

India’s AI market will reach $17 billion by 2027, which demands women’s leadership. AI Kiran, a national initiative by the Principal Scientific Adviser’s office and INK Women, aims to empower women in AI through collaboration.

AI Kiran empowers Indian women in AI through a cross-functional community on the Manthan Platform. This platform features blockchain-verified credentials, mentorship, learning, and events which connect women nationwide for growth and leadership, contributing to India’s global AI leadership.

The $3M AI Kiran fundraise through INK Women Foundation (corporate, VC, govt), supports summits, partnerships, scholarships, and showcases Indian women in AI worldwide.

Source: https://www.financialexpress.com/business/start-ups/over-the-next-year-we-aim-to-reach-a-million-women-in-ai-kirthiga-reddy/3816101/

Sify Infinit Spaces, a data centre provider based in Chennai, inaugurated its AI-ready data centre campus in Sipcot Siruseri, which is now the largest in South India. The company has already invested ₹1,882 crore in Tamil Nadu, making good progress on its ₹2,500 crore promise from last year’s investor meeting.

As India’s sole data centre with an on-site open cable landing station, this facility offers improved global connectivity and network performance, with an eventual capacity of 130 MW.

Sify plans to power its Siruseri data centre with renewable energy and use sustainable building practices to create a new benchmark for green digital infrastructure. The data centre’s four IGBC Green ratings highlight this commitment.

MK Stalin, Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, inaugurated a key data centre facility, strengthening both India’s digital infrastructure and Tamil Nadu’s data centre strategy.

Raju Vegesna, Chairman and Managing Director of Sify Technologies, said, “With our cumulative investment now crossing Rs 10,000 crore from an initial commitment of Rs 2,500 crore, we are not only building digital infrastructure but also creating an ecosystem of opportunity”.

He said, “We envision generating employment for 10,000 people—direct and indirect—as this facility ramps up. This data centre isn’t just infrastructure—it’s a strategic digital gateway for enterprises and governments aiming to harness AI, cloud, and high-speed data solutions. We’re proud to support Tamil Nadu’s digital ambitions and to be part of India’s data-driven future”.

This new facility solidifies Sify’s leadership in India’s digital landscape. More than 10,000 businesses across 1,700+ Indian cities rely on Sify’s data centres, networks, and security. Sify also has an international presence in North America, the UK, and Singapore.

Source: https://www.business-standard.com/companies/news/sify-inaugurates-south-india-s-largest-ai-ready-data-center-in-chennai-125041700651_1.html

Tech Data Advanced Private Limited, a TD SYNNEX company, has teamed up with NVIDIA to distribute its cutting-edge Data Centre Solutions across India.

This strategic partnership will empower Indian channel partners with full-stack Generative AI. This will allow them to help enterprises enhance infrastructure performance, accelerate AI deployment, and boost innovation across industries.

NVIDIA, a global force in AI infrastructure, helps businesses and governments build AI factories to revolutionise raw data into valuable intelligence. Their AI platform, featuring CUDA-X and NVIDIA NIM, quickens machine learning and creates high-performing AI solutions.

Sundaresan K, Vice President and Country General Manager at Tech Data Advanced said, “Rapid evolutions in AI are driving the demand for advanced digital solutions in India,”.

“Combining NVIDIA’s AI expertise with our robust partner ecosystem, we aim to bridge infrastructure gaps and scale AI adoption across the Indian IT landscape”, he added.

Tech Data will leverage its infrastructure, software, and AI partner network to simplify the integration of NVIDIA’s AI offerings and boost their market access. Additionally, the company have plans to expand opportunities through collaboration with Dell’s AI Factory and partnerships with ISVs to build AI-powered solutions.

Just like they’ve done with NVIDIA in Europe and North America, Tech Data is now extending its reach to India. This natural next step signifies their entry into the Indian market and their desire to empower more organisations with AI and machine learning through their Destination AI Program.

Through this collaboration, Indian businesses will have a smoother path to adopt powerful AI, giving them a real advantage and helping them grow.

Source: https://www.entrepreneur.com/en-in/news-and-trends/tech-data-and-nvidia-join-forces-to-deliver-ai-data-center/

New Delhi: With an anticipated annual growth rate of 35%, AI (artificial intelligence) spending in India is projected to hit a whopping $9.2 billion by 2028, according to a report on Tuesday.

New IDC ( International Data Corporation) research highlighted in a Qlik report emphasises that maximising AI’s impact needs immediate attention to data quality, governance, and cloud migration strategies.

Although 51% of Indian companies host AI in the cloud, inadequate data quality remains a significant challenge.

According to the report, data quality has emerged as a major obstacle in India, where 54% of organisations reported it as a challenge compared to Australia and ASEAN (40%) and the APAC average (50.4%).

Furthermore, the report revealed that 62% of Indian organisations require improved data governance and privacy. India is also facing a big challenge with AI data bias (28%) compared to ASEAN (21.8%) and Australia (20%).

To tackle these challenges, Indian enterprises are focusing their investments in data integration, ML deployment platforms, and analytics to develop AI-ready data strategies. Strong data integrity, transparency, and compliance are essential for successful AI adoption.

Varun Babbar, Vice President, India, Qlik said, “Indian organisations see cloud adoption as a critical step toward AI success”.

He said, “To scale AI-driven innovation, businesses need a strong, scalable data infrastructure that supports high-performance AI applications”.

According to the IDC InfoBrief, India’s adoption of Generative AI is significant, with 36% of enterprises already using it and another 46% intending to invest in the next one to two years. In terms of advanced AI capabilities, India (20%) aligns with Australia and New Zealand but lags slightly behind ASEAN (27%).

Deepika Giri, AVP, Big Data Analytics, Blockchain, and Web3 Research, IDC Asia/Pacific said, “GenAI is transforming industries in India — from compliance in retail to fraud prevention in finance and predictive maintenance in manufacturing.”

She stated that trusted data, strong governance, and scalable infrastructure are essential requirements for organisations to completely and responsibly leverage AI’s potential.

Source: https://www.socialnews.xyz/2025/04/15/ai-spending-in-india-set-to-reach-9-2-billion-by-2028-report/

New Delhi: India and Germany will expand their partnership in AI (artificial intelligence), quantum tech, and green hydrogen for innovation and sustainability, according to Minister Jitendra Singh.

Dr. Singh emphasised the strong and long-lasting partnership between India and Germany in science, technology, and innovation.

After meeting with Bavaria’s visiting Minister-President Markus Soder in New Delhi, he said, “The two countries can collaborate more closely in key areas like clean energy, biotechnology, cyber-physical systems, electric mobility, and green hydrogen”.

Dr. Singh stated that under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership, India is focusing its science and tech efforts on projects that boost its economy, and Germany is a key partner in this.

He said, “India has embarked on mission-mode programmes under the visionary leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. We seek economic and sustainable solutions through scientific and technological interventions, and Germany is a natural partner in this endeavour.”

He highlighted the innovative Indo-German 2+2 model, linking education and industry to create innovation.

“The model is helping both countries work together on global challenges and turn ideas into real-world solutions, he added.

He said, “India is currently the third-largest country in terms of startups and unicorns, offering great potential for global technology partnerships,”.

Highlighting the academic link, Dr. Singh pointed out that 50,000+ Indian students are in German STEM programs, which is a threefold increase in seven years. He also encouraged more German students to explore India’s academic offerings, including Oriental Studies and culture.

Source: https://ommcomnews.com/india-news/india-germany-to-deepen-cooperation-in-ai-quantum-tech-minister/

Since 2010, the number of AI-related job openings has grown steadily, with the 2025 Artificial Intelligence Index Report highlighting a significant surge recently.

According to the Stanford Institute for Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence, the job market for both AI and machine learning experienced a massive surge in demand starting around 2017, which has not slowed down.

The past year saw a nearly four times greater demand for generative AI, highlighting the increasing value of creative AI abilities in various sectors.

India recorded the highest year-over-year growth in AI hiring globally in 2024, with a significant increase of 33.39%. While India leads, other emerging markets like Brazil (30.83%) and Saudi Arabia (28.71%) also show a substantial increase in AI hiring. Slovenia and Romania in Eastern Europe, alongside Finland and Argentina, also experienced significant growth.

While the US saw a 24.8% rise in AI hiring, emerging economies are also catching up fast, even surpassing established leaders in securing AI talent.

The report pinpoints high-demand tech skills, with Python leading in the US AI job market in 2024 (199,213 postings, a striking 527% jump since 2012-2014), followed by computer science (193,341 listings).

In 2024, data analysis and data science roles saw a massive increase in demand of over 800%, hitting 128,938 and 110,620 job postings, respectively. Cloud infrastructure, particularly Amazon Web Services (AWS), became increasingly vital for AI systems with a 1,778% growth. Additionally, skills like SQL, automation, and agile methodology are also experiencing significant growth.

Source: https://www.msn.com/en-in/news/India/ai-job-boom-india-leads-global-hiring-as-demand-for-tech-skills-soars/ar-AA1CEY9Z

India has a massive workforce of over 3.1 million government employees, and they’re making a big move into the world of AI (artificial intelligence).

The country is implementing a thorough framework to elevate the AI proficiency of its public sector employees. Guided by UNESCO’s AI and digital competency framework, India is positioning itself as a leader in incorporating AI into public administration development, with a strong focus on ethical considerations and the protection of human rights in their digital transformation.

Being the world’s most populous nation, India, with a population of 1.4 billion, has a special chance to use the power of AI to improve public services. Seeing significant opportunities, the government has initiated the Competency Framework for AI.

Dr. Tawfik Jelassi, UNESCO’s Assistant Director-General for Communication and Information, said, “With the launch of its AI competency framework, India is charting a new course for public sector transformation. By aligning with UNESCO’s global vision for AI in the public sector, this initiative ensures that technology serves people, strengthens institutions, and upholds fundamental rights. This is leadership in action for the digital age”.

Ashwini Vaishnaw, Minister of Electronics and Information Technology, pointed out the framework’s ability to bring about significant change.

He said, “This framework will empower public sector officials with the skills and knowledge required to navigate the AI landscape effectively. It is my sincere hope that readers will find it a valuable resource for building AI competencies that will not only contribute to India’s growth but also help shape the global AI discourse.”

This initiative will allow India to both build its AI expertise and make a meaningful impact on the global discussion surrounding ethical AI.

Source: https://www.unesco.org/en/articles/india-launches-ai-competency-framework-transform-public-service

On April 8, the Economic Times reported that India’s AI (artificial intelligence) sector is experiencing notable progress on multiple fronts. The country has achieved a world-leading 33% increase in AI hiring, underscoring its growing workforce in this field. Now, India holds a second-place ranking for contributions to AI projects on the GitHub platform.

Despite India’s impressive second-place ranking globally in terms of relative AI skill penetration, its contribution to global AI patents is just 0.37%. This share of global AI patents sharply contrasts with China’s (70%) and the US’s (14%).

The AI landscape is becoming competitive globally. The Stanford AI Index Report indicates that China is quickly diminishing the United States’ lead in AI model capabilities and organisational integration.

While this tech rivalry continues, people are optimistic about AI globally. However, not everyone is convinced. Within five years, around 60% expect AI to change their jobs, and 36% fear job elimination.

Governments worldwide are increasingly prioritising AI. The significant 21% growth in legislative references to AI across 75 nations during 2023, accompanied by increasing financial commitments, hints at a globally unified approach to strategically deploy AI’s transformative power with the aim of long-term societal and economic growth.

Source: https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/tech/artificial-intelligence/india-leads-in-ai-hiring-lags-in-patents/articleshow/120074074.cms?from=mdr