The Kerala government has initiated steps to make Kochi the hub for artificial intelligence technology in the country. State Industry Minister, P. Rajeeve, and Principal Secretary Suman Billa, have held discussions with IBM India and an in-principle agreement has been reached to start the company’s hub in Kochi.
As part of the initiative, the State government will conduct a Global Artificial Intelligence Summit in Kochi by the middle of this year, the Minister said after discussions with IBM India Senior Vice-President (Products), Dinesh Nirmal.
Launch of IBM’s AI hub would result in an influx of top technology professionals to Kochi and could also lead to reverse migration, the minister said. Besides adding to IBM’s employee strength, the proposed AI hub could prompt other industry players to follow suit. This would augment the prospects of Infopark, which is entering its second stage of expansion, he said, adding that the proposed hub would work on the basis of generative AI, beyond just generic AI.
Suman Billa said the summit would be conducted in association with the Industry Department. The IT Parks, Kerala Startup Mission, Digital University and APJ Abdul Kalam Technological University would collaborate in hosting the summit. Kerala State Industrial Development Corporation will make presentations on the preparations to make Kochi the country’s principal AI hub.