Kerala launches twin AI Centres of Excellence to link Bio-AI, Research and Innovation

The Kerala state government has launched two Centres of Excellence in AI, with a combined budget of Rs 40 crore, to position the state as a major hub for artificial intelligence.

Seeking to position Kerala as a major hub for artificial intelligence, the state government has launched two Centres of Excellence in AI in partnership with the India AI Mission under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology.

One centre will focus on Bio-AI and will be set up under the Kerala Startup Mission at the Digital Hub in Kochi, while the other will function as a general-purpose AI centre under Digital University Kerala in Thiruvananthapuram, an official release said here on Thursday.

Both centres, with an outlay of Rs 20 crore each, have received administrative approval under the India AI Mission's Startup Financing Pillar.

Speaking on the occasion, Kerala Minister for IT and Industries P K Kunhalikutty said: ''Kerala's partnership with the India AI Mission is a landmark moment for the state''.

''With two distinct AI Centres of Excellence -- one rooted in Kerala's biological heritage and the other anchored in our world-class digital university -- we are building a comprehensive AI ecosystem that covers both frontier research and real-world application. Kerala is not just participating in India's AI mission; we are helping shape it,'' he said.

The Bio-AI Centre, implemented by the Kerala Startup Mission in Kochi, will combine Western Ghats biodiversity, Ayurveda heritage and genomics research using high-performance computing infrastructure, including the 'Tejaswi' supercomputer at CUSAT and the Kerala Genome Data Centre.

The second centre, set up at Digital University Kerala in Thiruvananthapuram, will focus on research, training and commercialisation of AI technologies, supporting startups and building industry collaboration, with both centres backed by a Rs 20 crore investment each over four years.