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Time of India
23-07-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Infrastructure to intelligence: The shift India needs to kick start now
Lloyd Mathias is an Angel Investor and Business Strategist & Shailesh Haribhakti is an Independent Director on corporate boards. A few weeks ago, two seemingly routine state-level announcements passed through the headlines: Telangana unveiled TGDeX, a data exchange platform with ethical guardrails for AI use, while Andhra Pradesh announced its plan to integrate AI tools into law enforcement. While seemingly routine, these announcements signal a shift: India is starting to teach its digital systems to think. This marks a profound transformation from Digital Public Infrastructure to what we can call Digital Public Intelligence – where systems not only connect but anticipate, adapt, and amplify human potential at an exponential scale. DPI as the Foundation, Intelligence as the Fulcrum In the early 2000s, India began building its digital backbone. Aadhaar provided verifiable identities to 1.4 billion people, promoting inclusion. UPI enabled instant, universal payments, challenging monopolies. DigiLocker legitimized digital documents. CoWIN demonstrated large-scale public digital delivery. ONDC is attempting to unbundle commerce, giving choice back to buyers and sellers alike. This system—India's DPI—is based on a simple yet revolutionary idea: digital spaces, like physical ones, should be public, accessible, and not exploitative. While these systems improved access, decisions like credit approvals still relied on human interpretation. The infrastructure existed, but lacked intelligence. AI generated image What Is Digital Public Intelligence? If DPI enabled scale, Digital Public Intelligence ensures relevance. It represents a more mature approach where systems not only deliver services widely but also interpret, anticipate, and respond to national needs. Digital Public Intelligence is about deriving insights from data, learning from trends, and acting decisively based on India's socio-economic realities. This unlocks significant possibilities. Imagine systems that observe economic activity in every district and spotlight new industrial hubs as they emerge, allowing targeted support before opportunities are missed. By analysing health and pension data, governments could prepare for future needs and change policies early—helping to avoid crises. An employment intelligence grid could track shifts in formal and gig work, suggesting when and where re-skilling is needed, so policies and education keep up with the economy. These are not distant dreams. The data and platforms exist. What needs to be added is the intelligence layer—the analysis and ethical rules to turn data into useful foresight. Representative image/AI generated Why This Matters Now? India is at a critical inflection point. We're the world's most populous nation, with nearly 900 million internet users and over 100 unicorn start-ups. Yet critical sectors like healthcare, education, and employment need smarter, predictive interventions. The acceleration has to commence now. Data shapes governance Every era has had its defining resource. Land in the agrarian age. Labour in the industrial one. Oil in the geopolitical century. Today, it is data. From land records to subsidies, data is how state capacity is exercised. The value of data is in the patterns it reveals, not just in its collection. Patterns in crop yield can guide water policy. Patterns in migration can shape skilling programs. Patterns in credit use can flag economic distress. But when data stays divided or is used for politics, its value is lost. Governance in the next decade will depend more on converting data into public intelligence than on budget alone. The Challenge: Algorithms in a Diverse India An algorithm seeks accuracy. A democracy must strive for fairness. A one-size-fits-all system cannot work for a nation with 22 official languages, over 19,500 dialects, and countless traditions. Automated systems must incorporate socio-cultural nuances. Without this, digital systems could exacerbate existing inequalities. The real test is whether automated systems can recognize and respect differences—not just chase efficiency. Innovation Without Integrity Can Derail National Priorities. India's digital economy is growing fast, but not always equally. Businesses follow profits, but public value often comes from solving hard problems like reaching rural areas, supporting many languages, or building last-mile trust. This is where state-run digital platforms are crucial: creating shared tools, protecting ethics, and making sure no group gets left out. Innovation alone is not enough. If it doesn't match national goals like financial inclusion, healthcare, or climate resilience, it can even be harmful. India's real strength will be in ensuring innovation grows alongside equity, trust, and shared progress. Intelligence: A Double-Edged Sword With power comes responsibility. AI and predictive systems must be clear in how they work. People should be able to question and understand decisions made by automated systems. Without these safeguards, digital help could easily turn into digital surveillance. The real risk is not in intelligence itself, but in who controls it and how it is used. India must therefore ensure: That intelligence built on public data remains public in intent. That the logic shaping decisions is auditable, explainable, and inclusive. That our digital systems remain non-extractive by design — as Aadhaar, UPI, and Digilocker have demonstrated. Moving Forward: A New Code for India India's move from infrastructure to intelligence needs to be quiet and thoughtful—a symphony of data, design, and dignity. DPI was not built to sell ads or gather clicks, but to solve real problems at a population level. Now, as we move toward Digital Public Intelligence, we must retain that clarity of purpose. Because intelligence alone is not a differentiator. Ethical, inclusive intelligence is. The good news? India is not starting from scratch. We have the foundational rails. And we have a generation of public technologists who understand that scale must go hand in hand with sensitivity. As we code the future, may we never forget: the real power in our hands is the power to include, uplift, and unite. Facebook Twitter Linkedin Email Disclaimer Views expressed above are the author's own.
New Indian Express
03-07-2025
- Business
- New Indian Express
Minister Sridhar launches TGDeX to fuel AI innovation
HYDERABAD: IT and Industries Minister D Sridhar Babu launched the Telangana Data Exchange (TGDeX) platform at T-Hub here on Wednesday. TGDeX aims to bring together high-quality 'AI-ready' datasets, subsidised GPU resources, open-source AI/ML models, and real-world problem statements into a single secure, scalable environment. The platform houses over 500 datasets contributed by several state departments and aims to host datasets from private enterprises and academic institutions in the future. Speaking on the occasion, the minister said, 'The launch of TGeDX is the first step towards building a digital bridge connecting data to decision making and bridging talent to opportunity. With TGDeX, we are launching a national blueprint for inclusive AI infrastructure.' He further revealed that the government will launch AI University to train around 2 lakh existing engineers and build the next generation intelligence force. He called upon startups to build institutions to experiment, departments to contribute datasets, mentors to guide innovators and civil society to co-create along with the government. Sridhar Babu said that the TGDeX platform is the first AI-integrated data exchange in India. He highlighted that over 480 datasets and more than 3,000 AI startups are already integrated into the TGDeX ecosystem. This platform will provide vital data for agri-tech startups to support farmers besides aiding the health department in developing AI models that enhance patient care. It will be a valuable tool for skilling students and empowering innovation, turning Telangana into a global hub for cutting-edge solutions. Special Chief Secretary (ITE&C Department) Sanjay Kumar also spoke at the event and called upon all innovators and think tanks to use data and find solutions to improve the lives of the people of Telangana. TGDeX was highlighted as a first-of-its-kind state platform to address longstanding challenges in AI innovation that include lack of access to clean, usable datasets, subsidised compute infrastructure and institutional pathways to scale beyond proof-of-concept. Developed by the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bangalore, TGDeX is supported by the Emerging Technologies Wing of the state's ITE & C Department, with strategic and technical input from JICA's Digital Transformation Lab (DXLab) and Boston Consulting Group.
The Hindu
02-07-2025
- Business
- The Hindu
Telangana unveils first State-led digital public infrastructure for AI
Telangana Data Exchange (TGDeX), a first-of-its-kind State platform to address challenges in AI innovation such as lack of access to clean, usable datasets, subsidised compute infrastructure and institutional pathways to scale beyond proof-of-concept was launched on Wednesday by IT and Industries Minister D. Sridhar Babu. Developed by the Emerging Technologies Wing of the State's IT department with strategic support from the Japan International Cooperation Agency, the JICA DXLab, Boston Consulting Group and the Center of Data for Public Good, IISc Bangalore, TGDeX seeks to lay the ground for a single secure, scalable environment supporting innovation. Ecosystem enablers such as T-Hub and Telangana AI Mission (T-AIM) are also involved in providing value added services such as mentorship and access to markets and funding through 'Grand Challenges', the IT department said in a release on the launch event. 'We are building a digital bridge connecting data to decision making and bridging talent to opportunity. With TGDeX, we are launching a national blueprint for inclusive AI infrastructure,' Mr. Sridhar Babu said. IT and Industries Secretary Sanjay Kumar said, 'With TGDeX, we are enabling a future where a startup in Adilabad can access the same AI-building resources as someone in Hyderabad. We have more than 20 (government) departments on board already and aim to have all departments contribute to TGDeX in the next few months. A joint White Paper brought out by the State government and JICA outlining the TGDeX journey and lessons for other States was launched. JICA India Chief Representative Takeuchi Takuro reaffirmed JICA's commitment to Telangana and to India's broader AI and innovation journey. This White Paper aims to serve as a blueprint for how States and other countries in the Global South can build similar platforms tailored to local needs. Six winners of the Telangana AI Rising Grand Challenge, a pre-launch initiative that received over 420 proposals from 240 startups across the country, were felicitated. TGDeX is live and accessible at The platform houses over 500 datasets contributed by several State departments and aims to host datasets from private enterprises and academic institutions in the future.
Hans India
01-07-2025
- Business
- Hans India
State to roll out digital public infra for AI platform tomorrow
Hyderabad: Telangana government in collaboration with the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) is set to launch India's first State-led digital public infrastructure for artificial intelligence (AI) -- the Telangana Data Exchange (TGDeX) platform on Wednesday. The TGDeX is aimed at developing cross-domain AI solutions through collaboration between the State, industry partners, research institutions and startups. The platform, developed by the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, enables access to high quality data and collaborative tools for AI solution builders. JICA's DXLab provides strategic and technical guidance for the project. Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy envisioned Telangana not just as a leader in Al, but as a model for how technology can empower people. 'I invite all ecosystem stakeholders to join us in realising this vision.' TGDeX offerings will leverage Telangana's rich AI ecosystem comprising state government departments, private entities, academia and open-source or licensed data providers. The AI-ready platform will also utilise the Open Data Platform, which is the central repository of all the datasets of the Government of Telangana that should be in the public domain. The government's technology ecosystem comprising Telangana AI Mission, T-Hub, MATH (AI/ ML Centre of Excellence of T-Hub), IIT Hyderabad, and the Research and Innovation Circle of Hyderabad (RICH) shall also be engaged in reaching TGDeX's target of hosting 2,000+ AI-ready datasets over the next 5 years.
The Hindu
30-06-2025
- Business
- The Hindu
First State-led digital public infra for AI TGDeX set for launch in Telangana on July 2
Telangana government, in collaboration with the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), will be launching Telangana Data Exchange (TGDeX) platform, the first State-led digital public infrastructure for artificial intelligence (AI), on Wednesday. TGDeX is aimed at developing cross-domain AI solutions through collaboration between the State, startups, industry partners and research institutions. The platform will enable access to high quality data and collaborative tools for AI solution builders, the Emerging Technologies Wing of the State IT Department said on the project undertaken by the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, with JICA's DXLab providing strategic and technical guidance. The AI-ready platform will also utilise the Open Data Telangana platform, which is the central repository of all the datasets of the State government that should be in the public domain. TGDeX will leverage Telangana's rich AI ecosystem comprising government departments, private entities, academia and open-source or licensed data providers. The government's technology ecosystem comprising Telangana AI Mission (T-AIM), T-Hub, MATH (AI/ ML Centre of Excellence of T-Hub), IIT Hyderabad and IIIT Hyderabad will also be associated for achieving TGDeX's target of hosting more than 2,000 AI-ready datasets over the next five years. Chief Minister Reddy envisions Telangana not just as a leader in Al, but as a model for how technology can empower people, the government said the upcoming launch of TGDeX platform, which is a flagship initiative under the State's AI Strategy and Roadmap launched in September 2024.
