July 18, 2024: Google has announced a strategic collaboration with MeitY ‘Startup Hub’ to empower 10,000 startups with advanced artificial intelligence (AI) training. This initiative, revealed at Google’s ‘I/O Connect’ event, marks a significant step towards democratizing AI tools and resources for developers across the country.
Ambharish Kenghe, Vice President at Google, highlighted the company’s commitment to fostering innovation tailored to India’s needs while shaping global AI trends. The latest offerings include enhanced access to Google’s powerful AI models through Gemini 1.5 Pro and Gemma 2, which boast expanded capabilities like multimodal and multilingual AI functionalities.
“At Google, we’re dedicated to enabling Indian innovators to leverage AI’s transformative potential, driving solutions that tackle local challenges and influence the global AI landscape,” stated Kenghe.
Google’s DeepMind India team has also expanded Project Vaani in collaboration with the Indian Institute of Science, providing extensive speech data across 58 languages. This initiative aims to bolster AI development by offering developers access to over 14,000 hours of speech data collected from diverse regions.
Moreover, Google introduced IndicGenBench, a pioneering benchmark tool to evaluate language model capabilities across Indic languages, underscoring its commitment to open-sourcing advancements in AI technology.
Google Partners with MeitY ‘Startup Hub’ to Train 10,000 AI Startups in India
To further support developers, Google announced the integration of Google Wallet APIs, simplifying the incorporation of loyalty programs and digital tickets into apps. Additionally, India-specific pricing for Google Maps Platform APIs promises up to 70% lower costs, with further incentives for developers building on the Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC).
Seshu Ajjarapu, Senior Director at Google DeepMind, emphasized AI’s potential to revolutionize sectors ranging from agriculture to consumer technology, highlighting upcoming tools like the Agricultural Landscape Understanding (ALU) Research API designed to enhance data-driven farming practices.
As The tech giant continues to expand its footprint in India’s tech ecosystem, the collaboration with MeitY ‘Startup Hub’ stands poised to accelerate AI innovation among startups, paving the way for impactful solutions that address global challenges.
The tech giant has underscored its decade-long investment in artificial intelligence (AI), marking a pivotal shift into what it terms the “Gemini era.” This move aims to democratize AI’s capabilities by introducing multimodal functionalities, expanding the scope of inquiry with advanced long context windows, and enhancing AI’s practicality through a combination of proprietary and open models, complemented by pioneering research efforts.
With a staggering 1.5 million developers worldwide already leveraging Gemini models through The tech giant platforms, the company highlights its the tech giant’s I Studio as the primary gateway for developers to harness this cutting-edge technology. Notably, India emerges as a pivotal player in this AI evolution, boasting one of the largest developer bases on The tech giant AI Studio globally.
This strategic partnership underscores The tech gian’s commitment to nurturing India’s burgeoning tech talent and reinforces its position at the forefront of the AI revolution.
Google Commits $350,000 in Cloud Credits to Propel AI Startups
In a bid to foster innovation in artificial intelligence (AI) across India, The tech giant has announced a substantial initiative aimed at supporting eligible startups with up to $350,000 in Google Cloud credits. This financial backing is intended to empower startups to invest in crucial cloud infrastructure and computational power vital for the development and deployment of AI technologies.
The initiative also includes equipping startups with AI-centric programming and educational resources through established programs such as Startup School and Appscale Academy. These initiatives are designed to impart essential skills, knowledge, and mentorship necessary for startups to flourish in the rapidly evolving AI landscape.
Furthermore, The tech giant is pioneering AI innovation programs geared towards nurturing the next generation of startups and developers to tackle real-world challenges. Key components of these programs include a nationwide Gen AI Hackathon and a three-month immersive experience in collaboration with MeitY Startup Hub and Startup India. These initiatives aim to empower early-stage startups by providing focused support across various sectors, including healthcare, climate change, agriculture, cybersecurity, and digital public infrastructure (DPI), all leveraging AI solutions.
The Solve for India Startup Bootcamp | AI Edition is another pivotal aspect of Google’s strategy, aimed at supporting startups at the forefront of addressing societal challenges through AI innovation.
The tech giant’s comprehensive approach underscores its commitment to nurturing India’s burgeoning AI ecosystem, empowering startups to drive impactful solutions that address critical global challenges. This initiative not only aims to accelerate AI adoption but also aims to foster a culture of innovation and collaboration among India’s entrepreneurial community.
