Call it fever or fervour- the nation appears to have got caught up with unprecedented excitement about AI. Even as we heard about two cities from two Telugu States launching AI-powered mega initiatives, more of such initiatives from other Indian cities are being spoken in as ambitious terms as they can get. SIA presents a snappy account:
……………………………………………………………
Over the last few weeks, we have heard about Viskhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh, and Hyderabad in Telangana making national headlines with haughty claims of country’s largest, and first-of-its-kind AI City establishments. Thanks to the globally-reckoned Google’s largest investment plan outside US, and Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy’s Davos deliberations, the two Telugu States launched multi-billion dollar mega projects near Visakhapatnam and Hyderabad.
Admittedly, both the initiatives came with hypes of global scale.
However, even as these developments shaping up, there were other, similar developments began drawing their own contours -some quietly, and others with the fanfare known to people. Understandably, the cities taking the race with an attached hype are: Mumbai, Bengaluru, Lucknow and Kochi.
Then, cities like Chennai, Noida are not far behind, as they too are said to be positioning themselves as potential AI hubs to match and catch up the race.
Consider these, just for a bird’s view sort look:
Mumbai Innovation City: In quite a similar fashion, if not with much more professional approach, Maharashtra government announced what it also called India’s first AI-powered Innovation City near Navi Mumbai International Airport.
This announcement was made by the State Chief Minister Devenda Phadnavis, during his visit to the World Economic Forum event in Davos early this year. The significant feature – which is believably as credible as the Google AI City in Andhra – is that it would be developed in collaboration with the Tata (Sons) Group who will invest as much as US$11 billion (one lakh crore rupees approx.) for the initiative intended to be shaped on a 300-acre area with deep focus on AI, semiconductor design, R&D centres, Data Centes and more.
According to sources, with the Tata Group actively pursuing the cause, the initiative is in an advanced stage of its planning, and would have its ground-breaking ceremony soon.
Lucknow AI City: Perhaps, moving ahead of everyone, and reaping the first benefit of IndiaAI Mission launched by the Centre, the Uttar Pradesh government announced in December 2024 its plan to develop the State capital as the country’s first dedicated AI City.
In a record of sorts, the State government allocated a whopping sum of nearly ₹11,000 crore to build the specialized AI city on an approximate 300-acre area at Vrindavan Yojna. The project was actually proposed by the Tata Group which will invest a major stake, aimed at R&D, manufacturing electronics and defence.
As recently as May 2026, the State Government organized an AI Transformation Conclave in the State Capital where, the initiative was given further fillip with specific contours for the development.
Bengaluru (Bidadi) AI City: when the whole country is chanting the AI mantra, with many potential cities vying in the race, how could the IT Capital of the country lag behind?
It indeed planned an initiative that seeks to rival the others, and claim a notch or two more. Themed as kalasa-vasa-ullasa – standing for work-stay-play – the AI City is planned to be developed on a 9000-acre massive land at Bidadi, some 30 km south of Bengaluru.
The interesting feature of this triple-zero (zero-carbon, zero-traffic and zero-waste), futuristic city will have as many as 2000 acres of land exclusively for AI-centric industrial establishments, including start-up incubators and R&D centres, besides AI skilling centres to groom local youths to become part of AI-powered technology nation building.
Having constituted a Greater Bengaluru Integrated Township for the purpose, the government has issued a final notification for acquiring the necessary land for the intended AI City.
While the land acquisition proposition has apparently hit a rough ground, as the farmers from the villages who stand to lose their farm lands for the project are reportedly agitating against the move, the government reiterated its resolve to lead the vision to fruition.
This Bidadi AI city was actually conceived way back in 2006. However, a variety of factors delayed the
Kochi AI City, Infopark phase-III: this was conceived to be developed as an AI-native urban living and business township by 2030, over a 300-acre area as part of the hyped Infopark Phase-III, under the aegis of Greater Cochin Development Authority between Kizhakkambalam and Kunnathunadu villages. However, this plan too hit the rough patch owing to jurisdictional and legal issues.
Now, the government is reportedly exploring the ways and means to clear the hassles, and clear the way for developing the intended project. It is to be seen if and how this vision takes shape.
If the visible signs are to be taken with any credibility, a very generic estimate, figures out at least 30 large-scale AI-centric data centres being planned across the country including big and small- aggregating to over 3.5GW capacity- all meant to be fully developed by 2030- a time scale not very far off.
This means the operable ground for AV prospects is only expanding at oceanic lengths. While it remains to be seen how much of it actually materializes to real growth, the hope is that even if half the hype happens, the happiness quotient is high enough for AV.
