The Tamil Nadu government has signed an agreement with Google to explore AI partnerships in the state, while the administration will also set up a new facility ‘Tamil Nadu AI Labs’. The government signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the tech giant on Saturday at the company’s Mountain View office in the US, according to a statement released by the Industries Minister. The administration also signed five other agreements with companies such as Nokia, PayPal and Infinix to set up centres in cities such as Chennai, Madurai and Coimbatore.
Tamil Nadu Minister for Industries Dr TRB Rajaa said in a post on X (formerly Twitter) that the state government signed an MoU with Google on Saturday, during the ongoing visit of Tamil Nadu CM MK Stalin to the US. The minister also announced that the state government will set up Tamil Nadu AI Labs facility in Chennai. Meanwhile, Google will work with Guidance, the government’s nodal agency for investments in the state, to take AI technology to startups, SMEs and the rural ecosystem.
According to the minister, the partnership with Google will enable the Tamil Nadu government to train 2 million youth in AI technology through the state’s Naan Mudhalvan training platform, while offering startups in the region mentoring and networking opportunities. SMEs will also be able to use Google Cloud’s AI technology in an open networking marketplace, according to the company.
On the first day of the CM's visit to the US, the government signed six MoUs with various companies to set up facilities in the state, including a Nokia R&D centre in Siruseri, an AI-ML development centre in Chennai to be set up by PayPal, a semiconductor innovation centre in Coimbatore (Microchip, Yield Engineering Systems) and a technology centre by Applied Materials and Infinix in Madurai, according to the minister.