India is becoming an important part of the world of Artificial Intelligence (AI). Sam Altman, the CEO and co-founder of OpenAI, said that India is not only a key market for AI but also the second biggest market for OpenAI worldwide. He mentioned this during an event where Ashwini Vaishnaw, the Union Minister for Railways and Electronics and IT, was also present.

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India's importance in the AI market

At the event, Altman discussed the future of AI and shared his thoughts on India’s growing role. He stated, "India is a very important market for AI. It is our second biggest market. Models are still not cheap, but they are doable. India should be a leader there, of course." Altman also talked about a major project he has launched called 'Stargate,' a massive AI infrastructure initiative that will build new AI systems in the US. This project, worth $500 billion, will be done in collaboration with SoftBank, Oracle, and MGX. The project will run for the next four years, but Altman is hopeful that India can lead in the AI model race.

Furthermore, Altman addressed concerns over his earlier comments about India’s ability to develop large language models (LLMs). He clarified that his remarks were taken out of context and reassured the audience that India has the potential to build LLMs.

In addition to Altman’s remarks, Minister Vaishnaw shared India’s ambitious plans for AI. He highlighted that young entrepreneurs in India are focused on reducing the cost of AI technology and bringing new innovation to the country. He said, "We did the Chandrayaan mission; why can't we do the same in the LLM space?"

India is working on creating its own AI model that will be safe, affordable, and focused on the country's needs. The government plans to launch this model in the next six months, with the goal of making India a leader in developing ethical AI solutions. This project is supported by a powerful computing facility, and one of its main goals is to create AI models that can understand and work with Indian languages.

The AI model will start with 10,000 GPUs (a type of powerful computer processor) and will add 8,693 more GPUs over time. Initially, the model will be available to researchers, students, and developers at a low price. The government will provide a 40% subsidy to make the cost of using the AI model less than Rs 100 per GPU, which is much cheaper than global AI models that cost around $2.5 to $3 per hour.

This project is not only about making AI cheaper but also about creating AI models that are specifically designed for India’s needs. This could help improve the country’s technology and its ability to use AI for various purposes in the future. 

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