logo
Indian Railways Start-ups: Indian Railways to launch sandbox policy for start-ups, ET Infra

Indian Railways Start-ups: Indian Railways to launch sandbox policy for start-ups, ET Infra

Time of Indiaa day ago

The Indian Railways is preparing a policy to set up a sandbox framework to encourage start-ups to test new ideas, Union minister for railways, information technology, and information and broadcasting Ashwini Vaishnaw said on Thursday.
Start-ups in railways
Advt
Electronics and AI push
By ,
ETInfra
Join the community of 2M+ industry professionals Subscribe to our newsletter to get latest insights & analysis.
Get updates on your preferred social platform Follow us for the latest news, insider access to events and more.
'Maybe in another two months from now, we'll have a new policy where any new innovative idea can be tried and tested at a small scale, in a sandbox environment, and then we can scale it up to a bigger level,' Vaishnaw said at a CII summit.A sandbox is a controlled environment where businesses can experiment while minimising regulatory or legal risks.Vaishnaw said the policy builds on Indian Railways' experience in onboarding start-ups for procurement over the last year and a half. 'The results have been very encouraging,' he said.The minister also said India had reached a 'take-off point' in electronics manufacturing, with the first domestically produced chip expected this year.'Manufacturing and services, both are equally important for the next level of growth,' he said, adding that the mindset shift to becoming a 'product nation' is already visible.On artificial intelligence infrastructure, Vaishnaw said the government plans to add 14,000 more graphics processing units (GPUs) to the common compute cluster under the IndiaAI Mission , in addition to the 18,000 GPUs already in place.

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

India Air Chief's comments on delays in major defence projects call for introspection on issues plaguing manufacturing
India Air Chief's comments on delays in major defence projects call for introspection on issues plaguing manufacturing

Indian Express

time36 minutes ago

  • Indian Express

India Air Chief's comments on delays in major defence projects call for introspection on issues plaguing manufacturing

Speaking on May 29 at the CII's Annual Business Summit in his first public interaction post-Operation Sindoor, Air Chief Marshal Amar Preet Singh made several pertinent points about the Indian defence industry. Pointing at perennial delays in every major defence project, he questioned why those involved in developing military hardware, particularly fighter jets, 'promise something which can't be achieved'. Admitting that, although the Indian Air Force (IAF) had been reliant on imported aerial platforms, 'atmanirbharta' was now an imperative. Pointing at the cruciality of air power in contemporary warfare and expeditionary missions, he called upon the Defence Research & Development Organisation (DRDO) and the private sector to take up the challenge. Quoting Winston Churchill, he asked the private sector '…to do a very special thing…(in what could be) their finest hour', invest at least 10 per cent of earnings in R&D, start designing and developing in India, and importantly, honour the contractual commitments given to the Armed Forces. There are a number of reasons why we have lagged in fielding hi-tech weapon systems. First, modern fighter aircraft are complex platforms and require seamless integration and smooth, synergistic functioning of a number of high-performance, cutting-edge technologies. These include incredibly efficient, strong, lightweight, modern jet engines capable of withstanding extreme temperatures, giving high power, great speed, as well as manoeuvrability. This requires advanced metallurgy (including single crystal technology, which just a few nations possess) and tight advanced manufacturing processes. The aircraft must also incorporate 'stealth' to some extent or the other, meaning it should present as small a radar cross-section as possible. This is achieved through an intricate blend of various materials, shapes, and radar-absorbing technologies. The airframe must be strong, manoeuvrable, yet stable. Its avionics, computing, navigation and flight control systems must maximise assistance to the pilot in his mission, while the systems on board should be fully integrated with the various weapons (missiles, guns, guided bombs, etc) for precision delivery. Thereafter, the entire platform must perform flawlessly in an environment replete with radars and anti-aircraft weapons of diverse types. In sum, the complexity of a modern fighter aircraft cannot be overstated, and its indigenous production is directly contingent not only on the availability of cutting-edge/emergent technologies but also on an advanced military-industrial complex. There are four requisites for developing and/or obtaining cutting-edge, future-ready technologies. First, obtain technology through transfer. No original equipment manufacturer/country will transfer technology in which it invested decades of R&D efforts and tons of money to rectify flaws and to finally derive that refined, efficient military platform unless paid huge offsetting amounts. Yet, rather than start R&D from scratch, some cutting-edge technologies should be bought, imbibed and assimilated internally, and then utilised as a threshold point from where to take off. Second, institutions of higher education that produce innovation as well as cerebral, highly-skilled alumni. For this, these institutions should be liberal and free-thinking, not weighed down by political/religious ideologies, and staffed with good faculty. Speaking at the Delhi School of Economics' Diamond Jubilee in August 2014, Gita Gopinath, First Deputy Managing Director of the IMF, had, inter alia, advised that India's education system must be revamped. Yet, the NEP notwithstanding, our education system and curriculum remain archaic. The National Employability Report Engineers Annual Report 2019 stated that a large percentage of engineers did not possess enough skills to work in IT companies. The government's Economic Survey 2024 opines that only 51.25 per cent of India's graduates are deemed employable, pointing at a wide chasm in skills required for the 21st century. Third, provide adequate R&D funding. In 2023, the US spent approximately $784 billion on R&D, China $723 billion, Japan $184 billion, Germany $132 billion, the UK $88 billion, and India $71 billion. Companies like Huawei of China and Apple of US spend billions of dollars on research. In contrast, most Indian industries, operating on thin margins, are faced with a Hobson's choice of maximising profits, expanding into new fields or investing in R&D. They thus need credible R&D funding from the government. Fourth, an advanced, civil-military industrial base. While India has many islands of tech-industrial excellence, for indigenous production of a system as complex as a fighter aircraft, the derived innovations/technologies need to be further developed and then coalesced within an advanced military-industrial base comprising many disciplines with technological cross-overs within those industries. China's state-supported civil-military integration model merits a study in this regard. The critical role of educational institutions, R&D funding and an advanced industrial base in the development of emergent/future-ready technologies is evident from just two reports. One, the 2021 report by the Office of the US Under Secretary of Defence entitled 'A 21st Century Defence Industrial Strategy for America'. This outlines how the US's edge in innovation and manufacturing has declined since the end of the Cold War on account of decreasing innovation, a decline in educational institutions, a paucity of skilled workers, low R&D investments in high-tech, etc. This tends to validate the claim made to the South China Morning Post in October 2024 by Lu Yongxiang, former vice-chairman of the National People's Congress, former president of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and director of expert advisory board for 'Made in China 2025', that China will overtake the US in hi-tech and advanced military manufacturing within a decade as 'overall, the decline of the US manufacturing industry ….become an irreversible trend.' The second is the July 2023 National Security Scorecard by commercial data company Govini. It evaluated 12 technologies critical to national security and found that in all 12, 'the USA is falling behind China in the core science.' Another reason is that militaries, being large, complex organisations and required to function in high-stakes environments with order, efficiency, and coordination, are often very bureaucratic. This stifles innovation and change by promoting a culture of conformity while emphasising adherence to established norms. General Mark Milley, former Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Eric Schmidt, chairman Special Competitive Studies Project, outline in Foreign Affairs (September/October 2024) 'America isn't Ready for Wars of the Future' because it persists with legacy structures, platforms and doctrines, but has yet to incorporate autonomous weapons, military AI, drones, etc. Nearer home, the US began using armed drones (for example, the Predator, Reaper) from 2002 onwards to kill militants/terrorists in Pakistan's west — yet, it took nearly 18 years, that is, the 2020 Armenia-Azerbaijan war, for us to truly appreciate and situate the role of UCAVs in modern warfare. While DRDO picks up some of the best technical brains from India's universities, merely knowing science doesn't automatically translate into advanced, military sub-systems/systems. To truly understand, develop and manufacture such systems, the DRDO also needs scientifically-qualified military personnel with immense combat experience. In contrast, the Indian Navy's in-house WESEE (Weapons & Electronic Systems Engineering Establishment) has achieved far greater technological success and self-reliance. Perhaps, the IAF too needs to look at a WESEE kind of set-up which cooperates comprehensively with the private sector. Presently, the IAF operates 31 combat squadrons against an authorised strength of 42 squadrons, with the 36 4.5-generation Rafale being the most advanced combat jets in its inventory. The air power deficit stands aggravated by an ageing fleet and delays in key indigenous projects, particularly the Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA), and the Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Mk-2, at a time when China already has two variants of fifth-generation fighters in service and is trialling two new sixth-generation fighters, and Pakistan is fast-tracking acquisition of 40 Chinese J-35 stealth fighters. Speaking at the same event as the Air Chief, the DRDO chief Samir Kamat stated that the first prototype of India's indigenous, fifth-generation AMCA will be rolled out by late 2029, with five out by 2031. The words of the Air Chief, therefore, merit attention. It remains to be seen how we refine our education system, inspire innovation, and develop a military-industrial base with coherent manufacturing strategies that function under an empowered bureaucracy with de facto policymaking capabilities, but bereft of political meddling. The writer is a retired Brigadier from the Indian Army

India AI: 3 more startups to build indigenous foundation model; common compute capacity expanded
India AI: 3 more startups to build indigenous foundation model; common compute capacity expanded

Time of India

timean hour ago

  • Time of India

India AI: 3 more startups to build indigenous foundation model; common compute capacity expanded

New Delhi: After Sarvam AI , India on Friday selected three more startups -- Soket AI , Gan AI, Gnani AI -- for building indigenous artificial intelligence foundation models. In line with its global AI ambitions backed by a comprehensive plan that entails enhanced AI infrastructure and local language model development, India has also announced availability of 16,000 more GPUs that would take the compute facility available to startups and researchers here to 34,000, with the support of industry partners. The expanded compute capacity on cloud will provide a common computational AI platform for training and inference, crucial to develop indigenous foundational models and AI solutions tailored to the Indian context. IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said significant progress has been made on India AI Mission, with focus on democratisation of technology. The compute facility supercharged with 34,000 GPUs will enable India to develop AI ecosystem in a big way, he said. Seven bidders have offered their commercials for various categories of AI compute units (GPUs). These include Cyfuture India, Ishan Infotech, Locuz Enterprise Solutions, Netmagic IT Services, Sify Digital Services, Vensysco Technologies, and Yotta Data Services. At the same time, three more teams -- Soket AI, Gan AI, Gnani AI -- have been selected for building indigenous artificial intelligence foundation models. "Like Sarvam, these three teams also have a very big target ahead of them. Whichever sector they focus on, they must be among the top five in the world," Vaishnaw said. Put simply, foundation models in generative AI are large, pre-trained models that form the base for a variety of AI applications. The Minister further said that 367 datasets have already been uploaded to AI Kosh. He also highlighted IndiaAI Mission's role in driving reverse brain drain, and creating a comprehensive ecosystem entailing foundational models, compute capacity, safety standards, and talent development initiatives. Vaishnaw emphasised that these efforts are aimed at building a complete and inclusive AI ecosystem in India. In April this year, Sarvam AI was selected to build India's first indigenous AI foundational model, marking a key milestone in the country's AI innovation ecosystem. Soket AI will develop open source 120 billion parametres foundation model optimised for the country's linguistic diversity targeting sectors such as defence, healthcare, and education. Gan AI will create 70 billion parameters of multilingual foundation model targeting capabilities to surpass the current global leader. Gnani AI will build a 14 billion parameter Voice AI foundation model delivering multilingal real-time speech processing with advances reasoning capabilities. Ganesh Gopalan, Co-Founder and CEO of said in a statement, "We are honoured to be selected under the IndiaAI Mission to develop large language models that truly represent India's linguistic diversity. At our mission has always been to make technology more inclusive and accessible". Gopalan further said is keen to "lead the way in developing voice-to-voice large language models for India and the world, because we believe transformative AI must speak the language of the people it serves". Meanwhile, under the IndiaAI Applications Development Initiative, Vaishnaw also announced the winners of the IndiaAI I4C CyberGuard AI Hackathon, jointly organised with Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C), Ministry of Home Affairs. "The Hackathon resulted in the development of AI-based solutions to enhance the classification of cybercrime complaints and support the identification of emerging crime patterns, trends, and modus operandi on the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal (NCRP). These models can interpret complex inputs such as handwritten FIRs, screenshots, and audio calls with improved speed and accuracy," an official release said. PTI

Donald Trump says 'US very close to making deal with India', claims Pakistan delegates to visit next week
Donald Trump says 'US very close to making deal with India', claims Pakistan delegates to visit next week

Time of India

timean hour ago

  • Time of India

Donald Trump says 'US very close to making deal with India', claims Pakistan delegates to visit next week

President Donald Trump on Friday (local time) claimed that the United States is "very close to making a deal with India," adding that a representative from Pakistan is expected to visit Washington for talks next week. "Pakistan representatives are coming in next week. We're very close to making a deal with India," Trump told reporters at Joint Base Andrews. However, he made it clear that any ongoing conflict between India and Pakistan could derail such agreements. "And I wouldn't have any interest in making a deal with either if they were going to be at war with each other," he further warned. His remarks come amid heightened tensions between the two nuclear-armed neighbours following India's May 10 'Operation Sindoor', a counterstrike in response to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack that claimed 26 lives. The United States has announced worldwide tariffs, potentially subjecting Pakistani exports to a 29% duty due to its $3 billion trade surplus with the American economy. Union minister Piyush Goyal's recent Washington visit was aimed to progress trade negotiations, with both nations seeking to finalise an interim deal by early July, after India could face 26% duties on its US-bound exports. According to the ministry of external affairs, foreign secretary Vikram Misri visited the US from May 27 to 29. The Indian Embassy described his meeting with US deputy secretary of state Christopher Landau as a 'great first meeting' that covered a wide range of bilateral priorities. Meanwhile, according to a Reuters report last week, India is expected to allow US companies to bid for government contracts worth over $50 billion, mostly from federal agencies—as part of ongoing trade negotiations with Washington. Earlier, Trump had once again reiterated his assertion about mediating a de-escalation between India and Pakistan, stating that his administration's trade discussions potentially prevented a nuclear conflict between the two nations. "We talk trade, and we say we can't trade with people who are shooting at each other and potentially using nuclear weapons… They understood and they agreed, and that all stopped," the US President said. "I think the deal I'm most proud of is the fact that we're dealing with India, we're dealing with Pakistan, and we were able to stop potentially a nuclear war through trade as opposed to bullets. You know, normally they do it through bullets. We do it through trade. So I'm very proud of that. Nobody talks about it. But we had a very nasty potential war going on between Pakistan and India. And now, if you look, they're doing fine," he added. Stay informed with the latest business news, updates on bank holidays and public holidays . AI Masterclass for Students. Upskill Young Ones Today!– Join Now

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store