The proposed Centre of Excellence (CoE) in artificial intelligence (AI-CoE) in Bhubaneswar has received in-principle approval from the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), paving the way for the establishment of a dedicated platform for applied artificial intelligence innovation, startup incubation and deployment of AI solutions in Odisha.
Sources said the Software Technology Parks of India (STPI), an autonomous society under MeitY, will implement the proposed centre. STPI has formally confirmed Hyderabad-based Blue Cloud Softech Solutions as an industry partner for the AI-CoE and asked the company to initiate the process for executing a definitive memorandum of understanding (MoU).
Under the proposed MoU, Blue Cloud will make a financial contribution of Rs 4 crore towards the development of the centre and provide industry leadership, mentorship and strategic support to startups that will be incubated there.
The AI-CoE is envisaged as a global platform for applied AI innovation, with its mandate extending beyond research and development to startup incubation, capacity building and deployment of responsible and scalable AI solutions. Its initial application areas will include healthcare, governance, disaster management, education and industrial use cases.
The state’s geographical and developmental strengths, including oceanography, coastal fisheries, tidal and ocean energy, and women and child development, will form part of its priority areas. This could give the Bhubaneswar centre a distinctive role within India’s emerging AI ecosystem by combining general-purpose AI capabilities with applications linked to Odisha’s coastal economy and development needs.
STPI has earmarked around 10,000 square feet of built-up space, along with supporting infrastructure, exclusively for establishing and operating the centre. The facility is being developed under the IndiaAI Mission, the Centre’s national programme for building sovereign AI compute infrastructure and a broad-based AI innovation ecosystem.
According to Blue Cloud, the partnership is expected to provide a route for taking its existing AI platforms and technology capabilities into the startup ecosystem. The company on Tuesday said it would make its platforms, engineering talent and enterprise and government customer network available to startups incubated at the Bhubaneswar centre.
Tejesh Kumar Kodali, group chairman of Blue Cloud Softech Solutions, said these platforms could help startups move from proof-of-concept development to large-scale deployment in government and enterprise environments.
“Odisha is exactly the kind of place where applied AI should be built. There are real problems to solve in healthcare, disaster management, coastal fisheries and the ocean economy, and a state government and STPI that want solutions deployed, not merely researched,” he said.
He said the company’s commitment to the centre would extend beyond its financial contribution. “We will bring our platforms, our engineers and our mentorship to every startup that comes through Bhubaneswar,” Kodali said.
Blue Cloud’s existing portfolio includes BluHealth, a camera-based non-invasive vital-sign screening platform for healthcare, Blura SAGA and SOCEYE for public safety and governance applications, and Access Genie, its sovereign AI and 5G digital infrastructure stack.
Vinod Babu Bollikonda, managing director and group CEO of Blue Cloud, said the centre was a natural extension of the company’s work under the IndiaAI Mission and its engagement with governments in India and Africa.
“We will move quickly to execute the definitive MoU with STPI so that the Centre can begin operations, and we look forward to Bhubaneswar becoming a reference point for how industry, government and startups can build responsible AI together,” he added.
