Key Points :
₹10,732 crore investment to redevelop Lucknow as India’s first AI city.
AI Innovation Centre, 10,000 GPUs, and indigenous AI models in the making.
Training of 10 lakh people in AI, ML, data analytics, and cybersecurity.
Key Background :
Uttar Pradesh has taken a bold step in identifying itself as a national leader in tech growth by declaring the construction of Lucknow as India’s first specialist AI City. It is a component of IndiaAI Mission sanctioned early in 2024 and fully aligns with the national ambition to be a world AI powerhouse by 2047.
The programme is led by a massive ₹10,732 crore investment towards creating a cutting-edge AI infrastructure. This includes the installation of a dedicated AI Innovation Centre, the procurement of over 10,000 high-performance computing equipment, and the development of India-specific multi-modal language models. The program will create an AI ecosystem bigger and more powerful than any existing technology hubs.
A key part of this initiative is the rolling out of the AI Pragya training program. This is an inclusive upskilling program with a wide cross-section of beneficiaries like students, teachers, rural leaders, government officials, and farmers. It is focused on workforce preparation in the AI economy with hands-on training in advanced digital domains. Industry captains have been approached to ensure that global best practices are embedded in the curriculum.
At the implementation level, Uttar Pradesh has already begun implementing AI in various spheres. In urban administration, AI-driven smart traffic management is already being deployed in cities like Lucknow and Varanasi. The systems are intended to reduce congestion, optimize signal priority, and respond to real-time events using bundled surveillance and data analytics. Urban governments have also deployed facial recognition and number-plate tracking technologies for law enforcement and civic surveillance.
The healthcare industry is also witnessing revolutionary innovations. Fatehpur has inaugurated India’s first AI-based breast cancer detection facility, offering early detection facilities for rural segments. There are also 70 prisons in the state that are now being watched by Jarvis, an AI-based surveillance system offering security and real-time analysis of prisoner behavior.
Knowing that institutions must step in, the state is to establish a Uttar Pradesh Artificial Intelligence Commission. It will oversee policy-making, governance structures, and implementation strategies for achieving long-term success in AI adoption across industries.
By putting infrastructure, training, and governance on one single mission, the Lucknow AI City initiative is a visionary step towards a digitally empowered era. It is not a technology upgradation alone but also a strategic upgradation to facilitate inclusive growth, efficient governance, and national competitiveness in the era of AI.
About the Author
Abhishek Roy
Abhishek Roy is a Managing Editor at Business Minds Media India.
