“AI is not optics for us; real work is happening in Karnataka,” says Siddaramaiah; state signs innovation pacts with Paris’ VivaTech, Poland’s Katowice

• Karnataka signed LoIs with VivaTech, Katowice Chamber of Commerce
• Partnerships aim to boost AI, gaming, and startup exchanges
• Government to invest Rs 50 crore in Centre for Applied AI

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Karnataka signed two Letters of Intent (LoIs) with Paris-based Viva Technology (VivaTech) and Poland’s Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Katowice on the sidelines of AI Impact Summit at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi on February 19.

The pact with VivaTech - one of Europe’s largest startup and innovation events - aims to create a structured Europe-India startup corridor anchored by the Bengaluru Tech Summit (BTS).

The collaboration will facilitate curated startup exchanges between Paris and Bengaluru, joint programming in artificial intelligence (AI), ClimateTech, DeepTech, gaming and semiconductors, and co-hosted investor and enterprise connect platforms. It also envisages long-term innovation bridges and formal Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs).

Also, read: Karnataka plans to expand Global Innovation Alliance beyond 30 countries to boost startups’ global access

VivaTech officials said the event hosted over 14,000 startups last year and described Bengaluru as widely regarded in Europe as the gateway to India’s technology ecosystem.

In parallel, Karnataka signed an LoI with Katowice Chamber of Commerce and Kato.hub sp. z o.o. to establish a Karnataka-Katowice Digital & Gaming Corridor. The partnership will focus on AI, deep-tech, gaming, immersive technologies and advanced digital solutions. It also proposes startup exchanges through incubation and soft-landing mechanisms, joint demo days and investor connects, academic collaborations, and the formation of a joint task force to identify pilot projects and develop an implementation roadmap.

Katowice region is known for its strengths in industrial automation, robotics, AI applications in energy systems, gaming, and applied research and development, making it a complementary partner for Karnataka’s startup ecosystem.

Meanwhile, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, in a post on X, said: "At a time when India’s Artificial Intelligence (AI) ecosystem is under international focus, it is important to highlight the real work happening in our state".

“Bengaluru stands among the world’s leading AI hubs - ranked fifth globally in AI skilling and among the top 10 cities for AI startups. We are committed to training five lakh AI graduates annually while leading in responsible, ethical AI for governance,” he said.

Chief Minister added that the government is investing Rs 50 crore in a Centre for Applied AI for Tech Solutions (CATS), deploying Rs 50 crore worth of AI-enabled public systems across 10 districts, introducing AI-based court transcription and translation, and expanding AI-driven learning support to 2,000 government schools. “For us, AI is not optics - it is about transforming governance and empowering citizens,” Siddaramaiah said.