Today in AI: Reliance wants to develop India-specific AI models, AI's role in Chandrayaan's success and more

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"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.

• 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.
• 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.

AI was key to Chandrayaan-3's moon landing. The Lander Hazard Detection and Avoidance Camera (LHDAC) stole the show, as it used AI to map the lunar surface for potential hazards.

• AI is rapidly becoming vital in many fields, including space exploration. The technology expedites data analysis, offers predictive insights, enables autonomous navigation, enhances mission operations, and detects anomalies, among other uses. Like past space missions, AI played a crucial role in India's Chandrayaan-3 mission.
• The lunar rover Pragyan was guided by AI as it collected samples and conducted tests on a daylong adventure. Pragyan's success on the moon depended on a suite of cameras and antennas assisted by AI.

Big tech is in a race to outdo each other in AI, purchasing energy guzzling GPU chips to train models and power-hungry processors to analyse increasingly large amounts of data.

• Surging interest in artificial intelligence systems will add further strain to global electricity grids with the potential to rival the massive energy consumption of Bitcoin. Thankfully, the premier cryptocurrency has shown us a way to mitigate the impact.
• There is another upside to switching out Bitcoin for AI in these server farms. While the cryptocurrency attracted numerous speculators and billions of dollars in investment, it still failed to add much value to the world. Generative artificial intelligence doesn’t have that problem; just ask ChatGPT.