Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Science and Technology, Dr. Jitendra Singh, today inaugurated the “Centre of Excellence for Artificial Intelligence, Skill Development, and Innovation” at Graphic Era (Deemed to be University) in Dehradun. This marks a major milestone as Uttarakhand gets its first NVIDIA DGX B200-powered AI and High-Performance Computing (HPC) facility.
Spanning 1.5 lakh square feet, the newly launched Centre features state-of-the-art facilities, including an Apple iOS Development Centre developed in collaboration with Apple and Infosys, and the NVIDIA DGX B200 AI-HPC system, equipped with 8 GPUs and 1.74 TB GPU memory. The ₹10 crore centre will drive AI research and innovation across sectors such as healthcare, agriculture, environment, smart cities, and advanced industrial applications.
Addressing students and faculty, Dr. Jitendra Singh emphasized the need for integrity in AI usage. He warned of the dangers of deepfakes and misinformation, highlighting that “integrity has no technological substitute.” Stressing on a hybrid model, he said AI should complement, not replace, human intelligence. “Only when we combine innovation with honesty can we truly shape India’s digital future,” he stated.
The Minister also cited successful government initiatives such as AI-enabled telemedicine vans that have brought healthcare to remote villages using a hybrid AI-human model. He drew parallels to governance, noting that while AI can increase administrative efficiency, it cannot replace the accountability required to meet citizen expectations.
Graphic Era University, ranked 48th in the NIRF 2025 and accredited A+ by NAAC, has also become India’s first Generative AI Ready Campus powered by Amazon Web Services (AWS). The university leadership stated that the Centre will act as a national hub for skill development, entrepreneurship, and cutting-edge research, in line with the government’s Digital India, Startup India, and Skill India initiatives.
Dr. Singh concluded by urging academia, industry, and startups to work collaboratively, saying that India — once a late adopter in technology — is now leading globally in space and quantum research, thanks to the government’s visionary support and focus on ethical innovation.
