UP To Build India’s First AI City In Lucknow

When states are looking at using artificial intelligence (AI), India’s largest State, Uttar Pradesh, has gone a step ahead with plans to build India’s first AI city in Lucknow to house and promote the AI ecosystem.

Lucknow houses Centres of Excellence in areas like AI and MedTech (with extensive AI integration). The AI COE (centre in IIIT Lucknow) alone supports more than 15 AI/ML start-ups, nurturing a culture of creativity and entrepreneurship.

By integrating cutting-edge technology, research centres, and educational institutions, the AI city aspires to be a hub where ideas flourish and the workforce of tomorrow is nurtured, says an Expression of Interest (EoI) issued by UP Electronics Corporation Ltd., the nodal agency for the project, inviting a real estate developer to develop and operate the AI city.

The real estate developer will develop office infrastructure based on plug-and-play infrastructure and a tower with Grade A office space for incubators, start-ups, and corporates. The government will provide 40 acres in Nadarganj Industrial Area for the project, which is free from all encumbrances and supports land acquisition, zoning regulations, and other relevant clearances.

Financial support will be provided to the developer through attractive financial incentives, such as one-time Capex support of 25 per cent up to Rs 20 crore for IT Park and Rs 100 crore for IT City, and 100 per cent stamp duty exemption as per the IT and ITeS Policy, 2022, the EoI document says.

UP Electronics Corporation Ltd., the nodal agency for the project, said in the EoI that AI City should also have a mix of luxury and affordable housing residential complexes to incorporate a walk-to-work model. A dedicated space for top engineering and management institutes will be provided to promote industry-academic collaboration. There will also be AI-enabled internal modes of transport