Gujarat Government Partners With IBM To Establish AI Cluster In GIFT City

Department of Science and Technology, Government of Gujarat, has entered into an agreement with International Business Machines Corp., or IBM, to establish and promote an artificial intelligence cluster in Gujarat International Finance Tec, or GIFT, City.

The partnership will leverage watsonx, IBM’s generative AI platform, to drive innovation and collaboration among financial institutions.

As part of the collaboration, financial institutions will gain access to AI Sandbox, assistance in providing proof of concept, AI literacy programmes and digital assistant solutions.

“This MoU with IBM will help Gujarat to lead the country in efforts to adopt AI and drive digital transformation,” said Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendrabhai Patel.

As part of the MoU, IBM will provide software technologies and platforms over a cloud environment, enabling financial institutions to customise and fine-tune large language AI models in a sandbox environment. IBM will also aim to build a digital assistant-based solution that facilitates the onboarding and integration of these customised large language models for financial institutions.

“Using AI for business is a strategic priority for enterprises today to gain competitive advantage through better productivity, innovation and customer experience,” said Sandip Patel, managing director, IBM India and South Asia. “By establishing this AI cluster, our aim is to make the latest AI solutions easily accessible to the vibrant and growing number of financial institutions in GIFT city,” he said.

As part of its AI skilling efforts, IBM will also develop an AI curriculum for schools and universities across Gujarat. The collaboration also includes literacy programmes and certifications for professionals in the state to enhance their skill sets, preparing them for the AI-driven future economy.