Chip behemoth Nvidia launched a lightweight artificial intelligence model on Thursday for India’s widely-used Hindi language, as it looks to tap into a growing market for AI technologies.

Chief Executive Jensen Huang is set to chat with the chairman of conglomerate Reliance Industries, Mukesh Ambani, who is also Asia’s richest man, at a conference in the business capital of Mumbai, the California-based company said.

Nvidia is rolling out its new small language model, dubbed Nemotron-4-Mini-Hindi-4B, with 4 billion parameters, for firms to use in developing their own AI models, the company said.

“The model was pruned, distilled and trained with a combination of real-world Hindi data, synthetic Hindi data and an equal amount of English data,” it said in a statement.

Indian IT services and consulting company Tech Mahindra is the first to use the Nvidia offering to develop a custom AI model called Indus 2.0, focused on Hindi and dozens of its dialects, the U.S. company said.

Just a tenth of the population of 1.4 billion speaks English in India, where the constitution recognises 22 languages, it added.

From large companies to startups, businesses in India have focused on building AI models based on its diverse languages to grow consumer appeal and drive activities such as customer service AI assistants and content translation.

Unlike large-language models, such as OpenAI’s GPT-4, used to power ChatGPT, small language models are trained on much smaller and more specific datasets.

They are typically cheaper, making them more attractive for companies with fewer resources.

Global chip firms are investing in India and setting up facilities to expand their presence as the country races to build up its semiconductor industry and compete with major hubs such as Taiwan, though analysts say the effort could take years.

Nvidia, which first set up shop in India nearly two decades ago, has engineering and design centers there, as well as offices in major cities such as the southern tech hub of Bengaluru and neighbouring Hyderabad.

(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

New York:

Prime Minister Narendra Modi today convened a high-profile roundtable with top American technology CEOs, focusing on innovation, collaboration, and India’s growing tech space. The meeting, held at the Lotte New York Palace Hotel, was part of PM Modi’s three-day visit to the United States, with its second leg in New York. 

Hosted by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) School of Engineering, the roundtable saw participation from leaders of companies specialising in artificial intelligence, quantum computing, semiconductors, and biotechnology.

The roundtable was attended by prominent CEOs like Google’s Sundar Pichai Nvidia’s Jensen Huang and Adobe’s Shantanu Narayen.

In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Prime Minister Modi said, “Had a fruitful roundtable with tech CEOs in New York, discussing aspects relating to technology, innovation, and more. Also highlighted the strides made by India in this field. I am glad to see immense optimism towards India.”

Had a fruitful roundtable with tech CEOs in New York, discussing aspects relating to technology, innovation and more. Also highlighted the strides made by India in this field. I am glad to see immense optimism towards India. pic.twitter.com/qW3sZ4fv3t

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) September 23, 2024

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said in a statement that the roundtable focused on cutting-edge sectors, including Artificial Intelligence (AI), quantum computing, biotechnology, and semiconductor technologies.

“The CEOs participated in a deep dive with Prime Minister on the evolving technology landscape at a global level and how these cutting-edge technologies are contributing to the well-being of people around the world including in India. They touched upon how technology is being leveraged for innovations, which have the potential to revolutionize the global economy and human development,” the MEA said in a statement. 

On Artificial Intelligence (AI), the Prime Minister stressed that India’s policy is to promote ‘AI for All’, underpinned by its ethical and responsible use.

PM Modi also reassured the CEOs of India’s strong commitment to protecting intellectual property and fostering a conducive environment for technology-led innovation. He encouraged the business leaders to capitalise on India’s growth trajectory, pointing to the nation’s potential to become the third-largest economy globally.

The meeting also explored opportunities to invest in India’s burgeoning startup ecosystem, where innovations in technology are accelerating. Startups were seen as a crucial bridge for American companies to enter the Indian market and contribute to creating new technologies and solutions.

MIT Professor Anantha Chandrakasan, who chaired the session, thanked PM Modi and the participating CEOs for their contributions. He affirmed MIT’s ongoing commitment to using technology for global good and advancing collaboration between the United States and India in critical technology sectors.