Reliance’s Jio partners NVIDIA to set up AI infra in India

Jio Platforms, a subsidiary of Mukesh Ambani-owned Reliance Industries, has partnered with global chipmaker NVIDIA to build cloud-based AI infrastructure in the country.

Under the partnership, NVIDIA will provide Jio with AI supercomputer technologies, including CPU, GPU, networking, and AI operating systems and frameworks. Jio will be responsible for managing and maintaining the AI cloud infrastructure and overseeing customer engagement and access.

“With the most advanced AI computing infrastructure, Reliance can build its own large language models that power generative AI applications made in India, for the people of India,” NVIDIA founder and CEO Jensen Huang said in a statement.

The announcement comes shortly after a Reuters report that said Reliance was mulling over entering semiconductor manufacturing. The report further said that Reliance was in talks with foreign chipmakers for potential partnerships.

The Indian government has also been encouraging local manufacturing of semiconductors as it is attempting to become a viable manufacturing alternative to China.

Huang recently held a meeting with the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the latter’s residence. The duo held extensive discussions on technology, including India’s potential role in the world of AI.

It’s worth noting that Ambani had hinted at doubling down on AI at its recently held annual general meeting. He had said that the company would “lead the efforts towards the India-specific artificial intelligence models and AI-powered solutions across domains, thereby delivering the benefits of artificial intelligence to Indian citizens, businesses, and government alike.”

The AI has taken off following the popularity of platforms like ChatGPT. There has also been a growing need for diverse large language models (LLMs). According to CB Insights, LLM developers have raised nearly $12 billion in equity funding this year, about 12x of what they raised last year.

NVIDIA has been one of the biggest gainers from the surge in demand for AI solutions. The heavy demand for its chips to power AI platforms has prompted its revenue to jump 101% to $13.5 billion in the second quarter ending July 2023.