Union Minister of State for Science and Technology, Jitendra Singh, on Tuesday inaugurated a state-of-the-art Centre of Excellence for Artificial Intelligence, Skill Development, and Innovation at Graphic Era University in Dehradun.
Spread across 1.5 lakh sq. ft., the facility is equipped with Uttarakhand’s first NVIDIA AI and High-Performance Computing (HPC) hub, powered by an NVIDIA DGX B200 system featuring eight GPUs and 1.74 TB GPU memory.
Developed at a cost of over ₹10 crore, the centre is expected to boost research in sectors such as healthcare, agriculture, environment, smart cities, and advanced industries.
The facility also houses an Apple iOS Development Centre, set up in collaboration with Apple and Infosys
Describing the Centre a step towards India’s digital transformation, Singh said it would act as a hub for research, skill development and entrepreneurship aligned with the government’s Digital India, Startup India and Skill India missions.
He cited examples of AI-enabled telemedicine vans deployed in rural areas, saying hybrid AI-human models had brought healthcare to villages that had never seen a doctor. AI, he said, could enhance efficiency in grievance redressal but “without accountability, technology alone cannot satisfy citizens’ expectations.”
“AI can create miracles if used judiciously, but without integrity it can also be misused, as seen in the rise of deepfakes and misinformation. Integrity has no technological substitute,” Singh said, cautioning students and researchers that ethical choices must guide innovation.
“Every tool has a self-limiting utility if integrity is compromised. Only when we combine innovation with honesty can we truly shape India’s digital future,” he added.
Highlighting India’s recent strides, the minister said the country had moved from being a late adopter of television to becoming a leader in space exploration and quantum research. Linking academic research with industry and startups, he added, was key to sustaining this momentum.
Graphic Era University, a deemed-to-be university ranked 48th in NIRF 2025 and accredited with NAAC A+ grade, has become India’s first Generative AI-ready campus powered by AWS, the university said.