AIKosha: A Big Leap Toward India’s AI Mission

What is AIKosha?

AIKosha is a platform that provides repository of datasets, models and use cases to enable AI innovation. It is launched by India's Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) for its ambitious AI Mission on March 6, 2025. The IndiaAI Mission is structured around seven core pillars, focusing on democratizing AI access, enhancing data quality, and ensuring ethical AI practices.

AIKosha is a large corpus of datasets that is built in India for growth of AI in country. Through access of curated datasets, advanced tools, and a collaborative space people can turn AI ideas into impactful solutions. It also features AI sandbox capabilities through an integrated development environment along with tools and tutorials. Speaking at the Raisina Dialogue 2025 in New Delhi, Union Minister for Electronics and IT, Ashwini Vaishnaw informed that the government has also set up a common compute structure called IndiaAI Compute Portal. He said that the MoU between the India AI Mission and the Indian Parliament was signed as Parliament has a vast dataset in multiple languages accumulated over a long period. To take the lead in AI by 2047, minister emphasized that India must have their own LLMs, continuously invest in new technologies and ensure that universities must upgrade their curricula to bring out more experts in the field.

After meeting with the founder of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Bill Gates in New Delhi. Mr. Vaishnaw also said that the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) will be signed soon between IndiaAI mission and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation emphasizing that the AI solutions for better crops, stronger healthcare, smarter education and climate resilience are need of the present time.

Key takeaways?

Unified AI Resource Platform

Comprehensive Repository: AIKosha offers access to over 300 non-personal datasets and 80+ AI models, serving as a central hub for AI development. These datasets include those from the MeitY’s Digital India Bhashini division, with one dataset containing 1,684 hours of labelled speech data across 12 Indian languages, which could help develop tools for automatic speech recognition. Private companies such as Sarvam AI and Ola Krutrim have also uploaded their models to AIKosha.

Integrated Development Environment: The platform includes an AI sandbox with tools, tutorials, and secure APIs, facilitating seamless AI model training and deployment. According to Union electronics and IT minister Ashwini Vaishnaw Startups, researchers, application developers and others can now access 14,000 GPUs (graphics processing units) on the IndiaAI Compute Portal, with 4,000 more in the pipeline.

A GPU is a specialized chip built to handle massive numbers of operations in parallel. Training AI involves huge amounts of data and computation. GPUs can process many calculations in parallel, which speeds up training massively compared to CPUs.

Ethical and Secure Data Handling

Non-Monetized Data Access: The government has clarified that there are no plans to monetize the non-personal data on AIKosha, ensuring free and open access for users. Users can download the datasets by first signing up for DigiLocker using their mobile number, while organisations must register via the ministry of electronics and information technology’s (MeitY) Entity Locker using Aadhaar. This approach aims to ensure platform security and the appropriateness of the datasets.

Data Privacy Compliance: AIKosha adheres to India's data protection laws, including the Information Technology Act, 2000, and the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, ensuring responsible data usage.

Support for Indigenous AI Development

Foundation for India's AI Models: AIKosha is instrumental in developing India's own foundational AI models, including large language models tailored to the country's diverse needs.

Collaboration with Government Departments: Datasets from various ministries, such as agriculture and weather forecasting, are integrated into the platform, enriching the data pool for AI applications.

Part of a Broader AI Ecosystem

Complementary Initiatives: AIKosha is part of the larger IndiaAI Mission, which includes the AI Compute Portal providing access to over 14,000 GPUs at subsidized rates, and programs like the IndiaAI Startups Global Acceleration Program and AI Competency Framework for public sector officials.

Focus on Skill Development: Initiatives like the India AI Future Skills, the AI Competency Framework for Public Sector Officials, iGOT-AI Mission Karmayogi, an AI-powered personalized learning platform, and the establishment of AI Data Labs in Tier II and III cities aim to build a robust AI talent pool across the country.

AIKosha is a significant step in India's AI journey, providing a secure platform for AI innovation and development. The launch of AIKosha, the AI Compute Portal, and other strategic AI initiatives marks a transformative moment for India’s digital future, reinforcing its status as a pioneer in AI innovation and adoption.

References:

1. AIKosh (indiaai.gov.in)

2. https://pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2108961

3. https://www.newsonair.gov.in/large-public-datasets-crucial-for-growth-of-ai-in-india-union-minister-ashwini-vaishnaw/

4. https://www.newsonair.gov.in/health-minister-j-p-nadda-bill-gates-discuss-shared-commitment-to-ensure-affordable-health-care-for-all/

5. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2IG5VFokosA

6. https://www.facebook.com/meityindia/videos/aikosha-a-platform-that-provides-repository-of-datasets-models-and-use-cases-to-/4053665464955746/

7. https://the-captable.com/2025/02/deepseek-ai-kosh-india-meity-public-dataset/

8. No plans to monetise non-personal data on AIKosha: MeitY informs Rajya Sabha | Latest News India - Hindustan Times

9. https://pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2108961

10. IndiaAI Mission Turns One; Strengthens AI Ecosystem with AIKosha, Compute Portal and Key Innovations - Elets eGov (eletsonline.com)

11. https://egov.eletsonline.com/2025/03/indiaai-mission-turns-one-strengthens-ai-ecosystem-with-aikosha-compute-portal-and-key-innovations/?utm_source=chatgpt.com

12. https://www.livemint.com/technology/ai-kosh-platorm-data-sets-ai-training-models-gpu-access-live-chatgpt-nvidia-amd-yotta-openai-chatgpt-intel-aws-11741270366709.html

13. https://futuretech.media/india-takes-a-major-step-in-ai-development-with-ai-kosh-and-gpu-initiatives/

14. https://pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2108961