Bhubaneswar: The Odisha government Friday signed two memoranda of understanding (MoUs) with HCL Technologies and Sarvam AI for setting up an AI data centre and a global delivery centre in Khurda district, involving a proposed investment of more than Rs 15,000 crore over the next five years.
The state’s Electronics and IT Department signed one MoU with HCL Technologies and another jointly with HCL Technologies and Sarvam AI in the presence of Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi.
Under the agreements, HCL Technologies, with support from Sarvam AI, will establish its first AI data centre in Odisha, while HCL will independently set up a global delivery centre.
Officials said the combined investment in the two projects would exceed Rs 15,000 crore over five years.
According to the company, the AI data centre project alone entails a planned capital outlay of Rs 14,257 crore, including financial assistance from the Odisha government.
The facility will be located in the proposed Odisha Sovereign AI Park.
“Earlier, we were completely dependent on foreign AI. Now, indigenous AI developed in India is at par with any global technology,” Majhi told reporters.
He said HCL Technologies’ proposed global delivery centre would further strengthen Odisha’s technology ecosystem and create employment opportunities for thousands of highly skilled youth in the state.
The projects will enhance the state’s capabilities in emerging technologies, accelerate the growth of the IT and IT-enabled services sector, and attract further high-value investments, the Chief Minister’s Office said in a social media post.
HCL Technologies chairperson Roshni Nadar Malhotra said the initiative was aligned with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of ‘Digital India’ and ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’.
“We strive to be an enabler of India’s sovereign AI ecosystem with differentiated offerings across the value chain through focused investments and partnerships. We are pleased to begin this endeavour in partnership with the Odisha government and Sarvam,” she said.
Sarvam AI co-founder Pratyush Kumar said the Odisha Sovereign AI Park would combine high-performance computing infrastructure with Indian AI models and real-world applications.
“Together with HCL Technologies, we are excited to bring Sarvam’s full-stack AI capabilities to enterprises and public systems at scale,” he said.
