Reliance AGM: Jio to develop India-specific AI models for citizens and govt, says Mukesh Ambani

Jio Platforms will develop India-specific artificial intelligence (AI) models aimed at the country's government, businesses and consumers, while also building up 2,000 MW of AI-ready computing capacity, Reliance Industries (RIL) chairman Mukesh Ambani said at the oil-to-telecom conglomerate's annual general meeting on August 28.

"India has scale. India has data. India has talent. But we also need AI-ready digital infrastructure that can handle AI's immense computational demands. We stand committed to create up to 2,000 MW of AI-ready computing capacity," said Ambani.

"Seven years ago, Jio promised broadband connectivity to everyone, everywhere. We have delivered. Today Jio promises AI to everyone, everywhere. And we shall deliver," he added.

Since the conglomerate's foray into the telecom sector in 2016, RIL has been undergoing an expansive makeover to position itself as a tech-first business. Subsequently, it has made big bets investments in e-commerce, edtech, logistics tech, drones and various other new-age verticals.

As the company made an important succession planning announcement today to induct the three Ambani scions -- Akash Ambani, Isha Ambani and Anant Ambani -- to the RIL board, the focus on the conglomerate's desire to be counted as a new age tech business could not be clearer.

"We’ve become one of largest filers of global patents for digital technologies, affirming our transformation to a tech company. I can see Jio leveraging Made-in-India tech to drive value creation growth, both at home and abroad," said the RIL chief.

"The best way to describe the new Reliance is that we have now become a new-age tech company with distinctive capabilities. Today we are a net producer of technology, large-scale deployer of technology, as well as a democratiser of technology," he added.

Ambani said that Jio was launched seven years ago with a mission to transform India into a Premier Digital Society, and added "we have invested our heart and soul into building a Digital Public Infrastructure which the entire world has begun to admire." Jio has been the main catalyst of New India's spectacular digital transformation, he asserted.

The per-user data consumption on Jio's network has surged, with the average user now consuming over 25 GB every month.

Jio's overall customer base has now crossed the milestone of 450 million subscribers, reflecting a year-on-year revenue growth of over 20 per cent," he said.

Last month, Jio had announced its partnership with Brookfield Infrastructure and Digital Realty to collectively invest in special purpose vehicles (SPVs) for the development of data centres in India. As per the joint statement, Reliance will hold a 33.33 percent stake in each of the SPVs, making it an equal partner in the venture.

As per the statement, Digital Realty Trust holds the position as the leading global provider of cloud and carrier-neutral data centres, colocation, and interconnection solutions. This collaboration is aimed at developing top-tier, well-connected, and flexible data centres in India, catering to the essential infrastructure requirements of enterprises and digital services firms.