Delhi’s new AI centres of excellence to support up to 100 startups

The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has granted administrative approval for setting up AI Centres of Excellence (AICoE) at Netaji Subhash University of Technology (NSUT) and Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University in Delhi, with the initiative aiming to support around 90-100 startups, according to a statement from Delhi’s IT Department.

Delhi IT Minister Pankaj Singh reviewed the AICoE project on Wednesday, along with an AI IT training lab for capacity building of government officers. Industry partner commitments and a key performance indicator framework have already been submitted for the centres, with the process for signing an MoU between MeitY and partner institutions now in its official stages.

The initiative, backed by a joint funding model involving MeitY, the Delhi government and industry partners, also aims to train 6,000-7,000 individuals and generate more than 1,000 employment opportunities. Singh said the project would create new opportunities for startups, industry, researchers and young professionals, alongside improving governance and service delivery.

Officials said the AI centres are envisioned to promote AI-led innovation, strengthen Delhi’s startup ecosystem and develop a skilled AI workforce, in addition to accelerating AI deployment across government departments.