Bhubaneswar: Blue Cloud Softech Solutions Limited has received formal confirmation from Software Technology Parks of India (STPI), an autonomous society under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), of its association as an Industry Partner for the IndiaAI Centre of Excellence (AI-CoE) proposed to be established in Bhubaneswar, Odisha.
STPI has informed Hyderabad-based Blue Cloud that the proposal for setting up the AI-CoE in Odisha, which was recommended by the Odisha government, has received in-principle approval from MeitY.
STPI has also confirmed Blue Cloud’s association as Industry Partner and asked the company to initiate the process for executing a definitive Memorandum of Understanding (MoU).
The proposed MoU will include Blue Cloud’s financial contribution of Rs 4 crore towards development of the Centre, along with its role in providing industry leadership, mentorship and strategic support to emerging AI startups.
The proposed AI-CoE is envisaged as a global platform for applied artificial intelligence innovation, startup incubation, capacity building and deployment of responsible and scalable AI solutions. Its priority sectors will include healthcare, governance, disaster management, education and industrial use cases.
On the advice of MeitY, the Centre will also focus on areas linked to Odisha’s geographical and developmental strengths, including oceanography, coastal fisheries, tidal and ocean energy, and women and child development.
STPI has earmarked approximately 10,000 square feet of built-up space, along with supporting infrastructure, exclusively for establishing and operating the Centre.
The Centre is being developed under the IndiaAI Mission, the Indian government’s national programme administered by MeitY to build sovereign AI compute infrastructure and a broad-based AI innovation ecosystem across the country. STPI has previously established sector-focused Centres of Excellence in emerging technologies in partnership with state governments and industry across India.
Blue Cloud’s role as Industry Partner will build on platforms it already operates across several of the Centre’s priority sectors. These include BluHealth, its non-invasive camera-based vitals screening platform for healthcare; Blura SAGA and SOCEYE for public safety and governance; and its Access Genie sovereign AI and 5G digital infrastructure stack.
The company said it intends to make these platforms, its engineering talent and its enterprise and government customer network available to startups incubated at the Centre. This is aimed at helping solutions developed in Bhubaneswar reach users at scale across India as well as Blue Cloud’s international markets.
Blue Cloud Group Chairman Tejesh Kumar Kodali said Odisha offered the kind of environment where applied AI could address real-world challenges in areas such as healthcare, disaster management, coastal fisheries and the ocean economy. He said the company’s commitment to the Centre would extend beyond its financial contribution, with Blue Cloud planning to provide its platforms, engineers and mentorship to startups coming through Bhubaneswar.
Kodali also said the company was honoured by the confidence placed in it by MeitY, STPI and the Government of Odisha.
Blue Cloud Managing Director and Group CEO Vinod Babu Bollikonda said the Centre of Excellence was a natural extension of the company’s existing work under the IndiaAI Mission and with governments across India and Africa. He said Blue Cloud would move quickly to execute the definitive MoU with STPI and expressed confidence that Bhubaneswar could become a reference point for industry, government and startups working together to build responsible AI.
