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Centre has a Rs 7K crore plan for Odisha’s IT hub makeover: Minister Vaishnaw

BHUBANESWAR: The central government is set to invest Rs 7,000 crore for transforming Odisha into the next IT hub of India and elevate it to a prominent position on the global stage, Railways and Electronics & Information Technology Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said on Tuesday.

Addressing a sectoral session on IT/ITeS/ESDM at the Utkarsh Odisha: Make-in-Odisha Conclave 2025, Vaishnaw said Odisha will play a pivotal role in India’s technological revolution.

The minister said, a 3 million sqft IT-hub with state-of-the-art facilities is being set up in Bhubaneswar. There are plans to create another 12 million sqft facility in the city to attract IT giants to Odisha. “This will enable the state to emerge as a preferred destination for global IT firms. With robust infrastructure, strategic investments and a focus on talent, Odisha is poised to lead India’s technological revolution,” he said.

Vaishnaw also spoke about India’s ambitious Semiconductor Mission and Artificial Intelligence (AI). When Prime Minister Narendra Modi had announced the mission on January 1, 2022, the world viewed it with skepticism. Today, the world is sure India is serious about the mission, he said.

“India, in a few years, will be a major semiconductor destination. There is absolutely no doubt about it, and Odisha will play a big part in the mission,” he said.

To strengthen semiconductor education and innovation, Vaishnaw announced that seven universities and colleges in Odisha will soon launch semiconductor programmes in addition to the four universities that have already been selected by the state government for the purpose.

On AI, he said the country will soon have its own Large Language Model (LLM). India’s AI compute ecosystem has attracted bids to create 18,000 GPUs which is an indicator of the robust growth opportunities for investors. “In Odisha, we will work with the state government to establish an AI compute facility and data centre. The first plant for sophisticated, very high-density printed circuit boards (PCBs) will also be started in the state,” he added.

The Union minister also virtually inaugurated new STPI centres at Jeypore and Jajpur. Besides, he distributed CDAC RISC-V Boards to 10 school students.

MoUs were also signed between the state government and Nasscom, Wadhwani Foundation and SFAl for setting up centres of excellence on AI, skilling of youth and implementation of O-Chip programme respectively.

The Union minister also inaugurated the Silicon Carbide Research Innovation Centre of IIT-Bhubaneswar.

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