The Karnataka government has approved the establishment of an Artificial Intelligence Centre of Excellence (AI-CoE) to accelerate Industry 4.0 adoption and deep-tech innovation across sectors.
The centre, named CATS, or Centre for Applied AI for Tech Solutions, has been cleared by the Department of IT, and will be set up at the KEONICS facility in HSR Layout, in partnership with Nasscom, according to an official release.
The initiative will have a total outlay of ₹20 crore spread over four years, funded through a 40:40:20 model, with contributions from the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), the Government of Karnataka, and industry partners.
The CATS AI CoE will focus on priority areas such as AI, robotics and automation, supply chain optimisation, and digital transformation.
It aims to strengthen Karnataka’s innovation ecosystem by supporting start-ups, MSMEs, industry players, research institutions, and academia.
Over the next four years, the centre is expected to establish advanced laboratories and testing facilities, support deep-tech start-ups, and facilitate proof-of-concepts, industry collaborations, and technology commercialisation, with collaboration envisaged with global technology and industry leaders.
Minister for electronics, IT Priyank Kharge said, “This is Karnataka’s deep tech decade, and the CATS AI Centre of Excellence will be a launchpad for deep-tech start-ups and industry collaborations.”
He added that by bringing government, academia, and industry together, we are building a pipeline from research to market-ready innovation.
The centre will track key performance indicators including the number of start-ups incubated, prototypes developed, intellectual property filings, industry collaborations, and professionals trained, with year-wise growth targets to ensure measurable outcomes.