Dr A.P.J. Abdul Kalam Technical University (AKTU), Lucknow, has secured approval for a ₹20 crore Artificial Intelligence Centre of Excellence under the Centre’s IndiaAI Mission, a move that could bring advanced AI computing, research and skilling within reach of lakhs of engineering and technical students across Uttar Pradesh.
The project has been cleared by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) and will be implemented over four years, according to Vice Chancellor Prof J.P. Pandey.
A three-way funding model
The centre will be built on a shared-funding model that brings together the Union government, the state and industry. As outlined by Anuj Sharma, Dean (Academics) at AKTU’s Centre for Advanced Studies:
- MeitY will contribute ₹8 crore under the IndiaAI Mission;
- UPDESCO (Uttar Pradesh Development Systems Corporation), on behalf of the state government, will provide ₹8 crore; and
- the remaining ₹4 crore will come from the university’s industry partner, IBM.
What the centre will offer
Planned across roughly 10,000 sq ft on the AKTU campus, the facility will concentrate on three pillars: AI research, innovation and skill development. Students and researchers will get access to advanced computing infrastructure to build and test AI-based projects, while the university plans regular workshops, hackathons and training programmes on emerging technologies.
The centre is also designed to act as a launchpad for AI start-ups, offering mentorship, networking and support to take products to market. The university says closer industry collaboration will be encouraged to co-develop technology solutions and improve employment outcomes for graduates.
Reach across Uttar Pradesh
The scale of AKTU’s network is what makes the project significant. The university has more than 750 affiliated institutions and over three lakh students across the state. Rather than limiting AI exposure to a single flagship campus, the centre is expected to extend learning and research opportunities to students and faculty throughout this affiliated system.
Why it matters
The approval reflects a wider shift in how India is building AI capacity, moving beyond elite institutions to large state technical universities that train the bulk of the country’s engineers. Pairing central IndiaAI Mission funding with state support and an industry partner such as IBM gives such centres both compute and curriculum relevance, two gaps that have often held back AI education outside top-tier campuses.
For digital learning in Uttar Pradesh, the real test will lie in execution: how quickly the computing facilities come online, how many affiliated colleges can tap into them, and whether the hackathons and start-up support translate into job-ready skills and deployable AI products over the four-year project period.
Source: The Times of India (22 October 2026) and ETEducation reports.
0 Comments
Sign in or create an account to join the discussion.