CORRESPONDENT
SHILLONG: In a major boost to the Northeast’s technology landscape, Meghalaya is set to house three additional Data and Artificial Intelligence Labs, marking a significant expansion of the Centre’s push to democratize AI access across India. Announcing the development at the Regional Artificial Intelligence Summit in Shillong—addressed virtually on Wednesday—Union IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw underscored Meghalaya’s emerging role in the country’s AI transformation. With ITI Shillong, Shillong Polytechnic and ITI Tura earmarked for new labs, and one already operational at the National Institute of Electronics & Information Technology (NIELIT) Shillong, the state is poised to become a key regional hub for next-generation technological advancement.
Vaishnaw said, “Our focus is to make sure that every part of the country gets access to this new technology. Many people today say that the way electricity is an essential part of our modern-day living, in the same way, AI will become an essential part of our modern-day living. So it’s very important that AI reaches each and every person who can make use of it for increasing productivity and for solving large problems.” He reaffirmed the Centre’s mission of building 570 Data and AI labs across India, with 30 already launched in Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities to train youth in data annotation and curation.
Reiterating the government’s wider tech goals, he said, “It is in this approach that we are setting up 570 data and AI labs. Thirty labs have already been launched. One lab is already functioning at the National Institute of Electronics & Information Technology (NIELIT) Shillong, and two more labs will be set up at ITI Shillong and Shillong Polytechnic. Another lab is in the pipeline and will be established at ITI Tura.” The Minister outlined initiatives such as developing sovereign LLMs, creating over 3,800 datasets, enabling access to more than 38,000 GPUs, and funding the AI mission with RS 10,300 crore over five years.
He added that the government is preparing for the Artificial Intelligence Impact Summit in February 2026, noting, “Our Prime Minister Narendra Modi ji has given us the vision of democratizing the technology… In this conference at Shillong, the focus will be on people, planet and progress, which are the three pillars or three sutras of the AI Impact Summit.”
Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma, the Chief Guest at the Summit, highlighted Meghalaya’s rising prominence in the IT and AI ecosystem, revealing that a major global ERP migration module was developed at the Shillong IT Park. He said, “One of the modules to test this migration of S4 Hana was developed right here in Shillong by an engineer from Shillong, a Khasi boy, and along with him, of course, his entire team… These companies are looking at Shillong and looking at Meghalaya for solutions not just for this migration but for other solutions also.”
Explaining the scope of the sector, Sangma stated, “Just to share with you, the S4 Hana migration sector itself, the market itself, is about a 10-billion-dollar market… that’s about Rs 90 lakh crore.”
He further emphasized AI’s transformative potential in governance, economic growth and public service delivery. Addressing the gathering at the State Convention Centre, Sangma said, “Artificial intelligence is going to shape the future of technology, knowledge, data-driven governance, as well as different businesses that we will do in the days to come.”
Citing Meghalaya’s success in leveraging data-driven governance, he noted significant reductions in maternal mortality and progress in natural resource mapping. Sangma added that companies at Shillong IT Park are already developing AI-based agricultural predictive models and supporting Fortune 500 firms.
Calling for collective action, he said, “With our young population, strong government support, and the right partnerships with experts, this future is well within our reach… Let this conference be a game-changer, one that positions Meghalaya as a prime destination for technology, innovation and investment.”
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