In a significant development for India’s aspirations in artificial intelligence (AI) and semiconductor technology, global chip design leader NVIDIA and India’s conglomerate powerhouse, Reliance Industries, announced a strategic partnership on September 8. Their collaboration aims to create a homegrown foundation for large language models, specifically tailored for diverse Indian languages and designed for generative AI applications.
This groundbreaking initiative will see the two companies collaborating to construct an AI infrastructure that surpasses the computational power of India’s fastest supercomputer today by more than tenfold.
NVIDIA is set to provide access to its cutting-edge chips and AI supercomputing services in the cloud, while the execution and implementation of this ambitious project will be overseen by Reliance Jio, a subsidiary of Reliance Industries. Jio, renowned for its extensive offerings in mobile telephony, 5G spectrum, fiber networks, and more, will play a pivotal role in bringing this vision to life.
The AI infrastructure will find a home in AI-ready computing data centers, with plans to eventually scale up to a staggering 2,000 megawatts.
Jensen Huang, the founder and CEO of NVIDIA, expressed his enthusiasm about the collaboration, stating, “We are delighted to partner with Reliance to build state-of-the-art AI supercomputers in India. India has scale, data, and talent. With the most advanced AI computing infrastructure, Reliance can build its own large language models that power generative AI applications made in India, for the people of India.”
This partnership aligns seamlessly with Reliance’s strategy to serve as an extensive digital, cloud, and networking platform for both consumers and businesses. Mukesh Ambani, Chairman & Managing Director of Reliance Industries, emphasized the transformative potential of this collaboration, likening it to the pivotal role Jio played in India’s digital transformation. “As India advances from a country of data proliferation to creating technology infrastructure for widespread and accelerated growth, computing and technology super centers like the one we envisage with NVIDIA will provide the catalytic growth just like Jio did to our nation’s digital march,” he noted.
Akash Ambani, Chairman of Reliance Jio Infocomm, underscored their commitment to democratizing access to cutting-edge technologies, citing this partnership with NVIDIA as a significant stride in that direction. “Together, we will develop a state-of-the-art AI cloud infrastructure that is secure, sustainable, and deeply relevant across India, accelerating the nation’s journey towards becoming an AI powerhouse,” he stated.
The collaboration between Reliance Industries and NVIDIA promises to be a game-changer in India’s technology landscape, paving the way for indigenous AI capabilities and strengthening the country’s position on the global technology map.
