Google-backed grants strengthen India’s applied AI ecosystem

Google.org has announced $8 million in grants to support four AI Centers of Excellence in India, focusing on healthcare, agriculture, education, and urban development. Additional funding was allocated to Wadhwani AI to advance Indic language models and farmer focused tools. The initiative aims to accelerate responsible AI adoption and build local capabilities using open models such as Gemma. Policymakers see the move boosting India’s AI research and deployment ecosystem.