Kerala to set up Rs 40 crore twin AI centres with Centre’s support

Kerala announced two AI Centres of Excellence worth Rs 40 crore in Kochi and Thiruvananthapuram, supported by the IndiaAI Mission. The centres will focus on bio-AI, research, startups, and commercial innovation, positioning Kerala as a national AI hub

Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala on Thursday announced the establishment of two Artificial Intelligence Centres of Excellence (AI-CoEs), in partnership with the IndiaAI Mission under the Union Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, as part of a major push to position itself as a national AI hub.

The twin projects, a specialised Bio-AI Centre in Kochi and a general-purpose AI-CoE in Thiruvananthapuram, will together attract an investment of Rs 40 crore and are expected to anchor Kerala’s next phase of technology-led growth, focusing on research, startup incubation and commercial innovation.

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The Bio-AI Centre of Excellence, to be implemented by Kerala Startup Mission at the Digital Hub in Kochi, seeks to combine Kerala’s biodiversity wealth, Ayurvedic legacy and genomics capabilities with advanced AI infrastructure.

Powered by the Tejaswi supercomputer at Cochin University of Science and Technology and supported by the Kerala Genome Data Centre, the project aims to incubate 48 deep tech startups over four years and generate around 600 direct high-value jobs.

The Centre will focus on areas such as AI-driven drug discovery, precision Ayurveda, genomics and agri tech innovation for Kerala’s spice sector.

Officials said AI-based tools developed through the initiative are expected to benefit over 40,000 spice farmers while targeting a 20 per cent rise in incomes through predictive analytics, pest management and premium-quality authentication systems.

The Rs 20 crore project follows a 40:40:20 funding model involving the Centre, the State government and an industry consortium.

The second AI-CoE will come up under Digital University Kerala in Thiruvananthapuram with a dedicated 10,000 sq ft facility aimed at bridging AI research and market-ready applications.

The Centre will support startups in commercialisation, skill development and industry collaboration while focusing on AI solutions tailored to Kerala’s socio-economic needs.

Launching the initiative, Kerala IT and Industries Minister P.K. Kunhalikutty said the projects marked a landmark moment for the state.

“Kerala is not just participating in India’s AI mission; we are helping shape it,” he said.

With Kochi and Thiruvananthapuram emerging as twin AI corridors, the state is now positioning itself at the centre of India’s rapidly expanding artificial intelligence ecosystem.