Addressing earlier comments about India’s capacity to build large language models (LLMs), Altman clarified that his statements were “taken out of context” and reiterated his belief in India’s AI potential.
OpenAI CEO and co-founder Sam Altman has lauded India’s growing importance in the field of artificial intelligence (AI), calling the country OpenAI’s second-largest global market. Speaking at an event attended by Union Minister for Railways and Electronics and IT, Ashwini Vaishnaw, Altman emphasized India’s potential to become a leading force in AI.
Altman, who recently announced the $500 billion “Stargate” project to develop new AI infrastructure in the U.S. alongside major companies like SoftBank, Oracle, and MGX, expressed his optimism about India’s role in AI advancements. He noted, “India is a very important market for AI. It is our second biggest market. Models are still not cheap, but they are doable. India should be a leader there.”
Addressing earlier comments about India’s capacity to build large language models (LLMs), Altman clarified that his statements were “taken out of context” and reiterated his belief in India’s AI potential.
Minister Vaishnaw highlighted the enthusiasm of young Indian entrepreneurs who are focused on driving innovation to reduce AI costs. He compared the ambition in the AI sector to the country’s achievements in space exploration, such as the Chandrayaan mission. “Why can’t we do the same in the LLM space?” he asked.
The Indian government is progressing towards launching its own indigenous AI model within the next six months, with a focus on affordability and security. The AI model, which will be supported by a state-of-the-art computing facility, aims to provide ethical AI solutions tailored to India’s domestic context, including Indian languages.
Vaishnaw revealed that scientists, researchers, and developers are working on foundational models for the AI project. The country’s new AI infrastructure will initially benefit researchers, students, and developers, with plans to offer the technology at a cost significantly lower than global alternatives. The government intends to provide users with access to AI at less than Rs 100 per GPU, subsidizing 40% of the cost. In comparison, global models like ChatGPT cost up to $3 per hour, while India’s AI model will be priced at a fraction of that cost.
The new AI initiative is powered by a computation facility that will start with 10,000 GPUs, with an additional 8,693 GPUs to be added soon. This ambitious project positions India to become a more reliable technological powerhouse, driving the development of ethical, accessible, and affordable AI solutions for the future.
