Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel has announced a package of measures to accelerate artificial intelligence (AI) startups and innovation in the state, including direct funding, infrastructure support, and a planned Sovereign AI Park in Gandhinagar. These steps, highlighted in 2026, build on Gujarat’s broader AI and industrial policies to position the state as a national hub for AI research, deployment, and entrepreneurship.
Under the state’s AI Innovation Challenge, Gujarat has rolled out a structured financial support model from proof-of-concept (PoC) to full-scale deployment. Selected startups can receive up to ₹7.5 lakh for moderate PoC projects and up to ₹10 lakh for complex ones, with 25% released at selection and 75% after successful completion. Post-PoC, successful ventures can get up to ₹50 lakh (moderate) or ₹1 crore (complex) for implementation, customization, feature enhancement, and handholding support. The scheme also offers up to four years of support, including access to infrastructure at the Gujarat State Data Centre and the AI Centre of Excellence.
Gujarat is developing an AI Centre of Excellence at GIFT City and working with partners to set up a Sovereign AI Park in Gandhinagar under a public–private partnership model. The state has also approved a five-year AI implementation action plan (2025–2030) to integrate AI into governance, expand AI-specific digital infrastructure, and set up “AI factories” in Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities to decentralize computing access. Alongside, the Gujarat STI Policy 2026–2031 earmarks a ₹1,000 crore Innovation Fund to back research, startups, and advanced technologies, including AI.
FAQs [Frequently Asked Questions]
Q1: How much funding can AI startups get in Gujarat?
AI startups can receive up to ₹10 lakh for complex proof-of-concept work, and up to ₹1 crore for full-scale deployment, plus up to four years of infrastructure support via state data centres and AI facilities.
Q2: What is the Sovereign AI Park in Gujarat?
It is a planned dedicated AI infrastructure hub in Gandhinagar, developed with industry partners, to provide compute, data, and ecosystem support for AI startups, research, and large-scale AI applications.
Q3: What broader support exists for startups in Gujarat?
Gujarat offers sustenance allowances, seed funding up to ₹40 lakh, extra incentives for women-led and high-tech ventures, and access to innovation funds and AI centres under its 2026 industrial and STI policies.