Google, MeitY Startup Hub to support 10,000 Indian startups in AI

Tech giant Google is collaborating with MeitY Startup Hub to support 10,000 Indian startups in their artificial intelligence (AI) journeys.

This includes Google Cloud credits, an AI-first programming curriculum, and the launch of a nationwide GenAI Hackathon and AI Startup Bootcamp, it revealed at Google I/O Connect Bengaluru 2024 on July 17.

“India is at the forefront of the AI revolution, as you can see from the innovation that Indian companies are pioneering. From consumer experiences and agriculture, to social enterprises, AI has the power to address some of the biggest challenges of our time across many sectors and industries,” Seshu Ajjarapu, Senior Director of Google DeepMind, noted at the developer-focused event.

As part of this initiative, the company will provide eligible AI startups with up to $350,000 in Google Cloud credits to invest in cloud infrastructure and computational power.

Additionally, it will equip startups with AI-focused programming and curriculum through existing programmes like Startup School and Appscale Academy, providing them with the necessary skills, knowledge, and mentorship.

There will be AI innovation programmes designed to assist the next generation of startups and developers in addressing real-world challenges. Among these initiatives is a nationwide GenAI Hackathon, a three-month event in collaboration with MeitY Startup Hub and Startup India.

The Solve for India Startup Bootcamp | AI Edition aims to support early-stage startups using AI to address challenges in healthcare, climate change, agriculture, cybersecurity, and digital public infrastructure.

Google has a history of supporting innovation through programmes such as the Google for Startups Accelerator: AI First and the Build with AI event series.

The Sundar Pichai-led company highlighted Indian startups leveraging Gemini for innovative and responsible AI solutions, such as Miko.AI for child education, Karya for economic empowerment in low-income communities through AI, and Cropin for data-driven agricultural optimisation globally.

AI and developers

According to Google, over 1.5 million developers use Gemini models across its tools globally.

“AI is transforming the very fundamentals of software development—including how developers think about what’s possible and how they build it,” Jeanine Banks, Vice President and General Manager of Developer X, Google, said.

Banks added, “We've been thrilled and inspired by the enthusiastic embrace of our AI capabilities by India’s growing developer ecosystem.”

Gemma is Google's family of open models, developed using the same research and technology behind the Gemini models.

The company unveiled Gemma 2, the latest open model to foster responsible AI innovation for all developers. It offers enhanced performance and built-in safety enhancements, available in 9 billion and 27 billion parameters.

Google also said that Phase 1 of Project Vaani, in collaboration with the Indian Institute of Science, delivered over 14,000 hours of speech data from 58 languages and 80,000 speakers across 80 districts. Phase 2, with IISc, aims to extend coverage to all Indian states, encompassing 160 districts.

The tech giant is also launching IndicGenBench, a robust benchmark tailored for Indian languages, encompassing 29 languages, including previously un-benchmarked ones, to support language model evaluation and refinement.

Google is also launching Wallet APIs to easily integrate loyalty programmes, tickets, and gift cards. It is bringing India-specific pricing for the Google Maps Platform, up to 70% lower on most APIs, and offering up to 90% discounts on select APIs for developers building for ONDC in collaboration with the Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC).