Intel partners with IndiaAI to boost AI skills nationwide

Intel and MeitY’s IndiaAI partnership represents a significant milestone in India’s AI development strategy, establishing a framework to cultivate AI skills and adoption across education, entrepreneurship, and governance sectors. This collaboration, formalized within the government’s ambitious IndiaAI Mission, aims to democratize AI access while fostering indigenous innovation—positioning India to compete in the global AI landscape through targeted skills development and support mechanisms.

The big picture: Intel has partnered with India’s Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology to advance artificial intelligence capabilities and skilling initiatives nationwide under the IndiaAI mission.

• The memorandum of understanding focuses on equipping students, professionals, startups, and public sector entities with tools and knowledge to leverage AI technologies.
• This collaboration aligns with India’s broader national mission to democratize AI access, encourage homegrown innovation, and integrate AI into governance frameworks.

Key initiatives: The partnership will implement four strategic programs targeting different segments of India’s technology ecosystem.

• YuvaAI will prepare school and college students with AI skills designed to improve their future employability.
• StartupAI will provide emerging AI ventures with technology access, mentorship opportunities, and go-to-market strategy support.
• IndiaAI Dialogues will engage public sector leaders and policy practitioners to promote AI readiness in governance.
• The Bhashini initiative will leverage AI-powered PCs to enable multilingual learning experiences in remote classrooms.

What they’re saying: Leaders from both organizations emphasized the transformative potential of their collaboration for India’s AI landscape.

• “By equipping students, startups, and public sector leaders with cutting-edge AI skills and frugal innovation tools, we aim to accelerate innovation and generate a positive societal impact,” stated Santhosh Viswanathan, Intel India VP.
• Abhishek Singh, CEO of the IndiaAI Mission, highlighted that the initiative “aims to establish India as a global leader in AI by promoting inclusive innovation, ensuring responsible AI development, and enhancing public service delivery.”

The bigger context: The partnership operates within India’s national AI strategy framework, which received formal approval from the Union Cabinet in 2023.

• The IndiaAI Mission focuses on enhancing data quality, attracting top AI talent, fostering public-private partnerships, and providing capital support to early-stage AI startups.
• This Intel collaboration represents one of the first major private sector partnerships announced under the mission’s implementation phase.