Tata Communications Ltd and Jio Platforms Ltd are among 19 bidders who have submitted proposals to provide artificial intelligence (AI) and Cloud services by making available 10,000 graphics processing units (GPUs) to support India’s AI mission.

The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), through IndiaAI Independent Business Division (IBD), published a Request for Empanelment (RFE) on August 16, 2024. The tender invited applications for the empanelment of agencies to provide AI Compute and Cloud Services. This initiative aims to make available 10,000 GPUs to support India's AI mission, benefiting startups, researchers, students, and academicians.

The pre-bid meeting in August 2024 witnessed enthusiastic participation from over 50 service providers, including Cloud Service Providers (CSPs), Managed Service Providers (MSPs), MSMEs, and Data Center Service Providers. Following the resolution of pre-bid queries, necessary corrigenda were published, extending the bid submission deadline to November 28, 2024. The bid submission process concluded on the same date.

The bids were opened on December 2, 2024, at 11 am. A total of 19 bidders submitted proposals including CloudThat Technologies Private Limited, CMS Computers India Pvt Ltd, Ctrls Datacenters Ltd, Cyfuture India Pvt Ltd, E2E Networks Limited, Hostin Services Private Limited, I2k2 Networks Private Limited, Ishan Infotech Limited, Jio Platforms Limited, Locuz Enterprise Solutions Limited, Orient Technologies Limited, NxtGen Datacenter and Cloud Technologies Private Limited, Path Infotech Limited, Shezar Web Technologies Private Limited, Sify Digital Services Limited, Tata Communications Limited, Unicloud Labs Pvt Ltd, Vensysco Technologies Limited, and Yotta Data Services Private Limited.

The technical evaluation committee will now begin evaluating these bids based on the eligibility and technical criteria specified in the RFE document. Eligible bidders will be invited to present their proposed solutions during the technical presentation stage. Commercial bids will be opened only for the technically qualified bidders.

The empanelment will be valid for 36 months, with the option to extend for an additional 12 months based on mutually agreed terms. IndiaAI will ensure that all processes post-empanelment are transparent and accessible to stakeholders.

IndiaAI, an independent business division under MeitY, is the implementation agency for the IndiaAI Mission. It aims to democratise the benefits of AI across all strata of society, bolster India's leadership in AI, foster technological self-reliance, and ensure the ethical and responsible use of AI.