Budget 2020: Govt bets on AI, data analytics and quantum computing – Livemint

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Saturday announced an outlay of 8,000 crore over the next five years on national mission on quantum technologies, while emphasising on the importance of leveraging artificial intelligence, data analytics, and internet of things for digital governance.

Data centre parks will be set up in India with the help of private sector, she said. The budget also allocated 6,000 crore for Bharat Net and said 1 lakh gram panchayats will get fibre to home connections under Bharat Net scheme in one year.

Policy on private sector building data centre parks is an exciting opportunity for fintech companies. This is also in line with the governments policy on retaining critical data within the country," said Sanjay Khan, partner, Khaitan & Co.

Maninder Bharadwaj, partner, Deloitte India said the emphasis of government on data and digitisation is clearly highlighted in this budget. Building of data centers, collection of nutritional information from 10 crore households and focus on fiber optic networks are initiatives that will propel India towards a digital journey," he added.

Artificial intelligence and machine learning featured extensively in the ministers speech with proposal to use it in various existing and future projects such as the proposed national policy for statistics and the Ayushman Bharat scheme.

While the government had previously set up a national portal for AI research and development, in the latest announcement, the government has continued to offer its support for tech advancements. We appreciate the governments emphasis on promoting cutting-edge technologies in India," Atul Rai, co-founder & CEO of Staqu said in a statement.

Governments across the world have been laying emphasis on use of AI for digital governance. As per reports, US government intends to spend almost $1 billion in AI-related research and development in 2020.

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Budget 2020: Govt bets on AI, data analytics and quantum computing - Livemint