Karnataka's Chief Minister announced plans to develop Mysuru as the state's second IT city to decongest Bengaluru and boost regional economic growth. The state budget also includes establishing a major robotics and AI campus in Bengaluru, called BRAINz, to solidify the city's position as a global technology hub.
Further initiatives aim to strengthen the state's deep-tech ecosystem, including setting up Centers of Excellence, AI labs in colleges, and a quantum technology roadmap. The government also plans to attract 500 new Global Capability Centers by 2029 and build a new science city in Bengaluru.
Main Topics: Development of Mysuru as an IT city; Establishment of AI and robotics infrastructure in Bengaluru; Expansion of deep-tech and AI initiatives across Karnataka; Attraction of Global Capability Centers (GCCs).
Karnataka Chief Minister (CM) Siddaramaiah announced today that Mysuru will be developed as Karnatakaâs second IT city, both as a way to decongest Bengaluru and to strengthen economic activities beyond the metro.
Mysuru is already home to a growing population of more than 30,000 techies that work across nearly 100 companies, Siddaramaiah said while presenting the state budget for the 17th time â the second highest after Gujaratâs V R Vala.
The CM announced plans to set up a robotics and artificial intelligence (AI) campus in Bengaluru under the aegis of the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), as the state seeks to establish the city as a global hub for emerging technologies.
The new campus, to be called the âBengaluru Robotics and AI Innovation Zoneâ (BRAINz), will be set up by the AI and Robotics Technology Park (ART-PARK) of the IISc in collaboration with the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and Karnataka State Electronics Development Corporation (Keonics). ART-PARK, established in 2020 within the IISc campus in Bengaluru, is Indiaâs first AI and robotics technology hub.
Highlighting Bengaluruâs growing role in the AI ecosystem, Siddaramaiah said the city ranks among the top five global hubs for AI and big data.
The government will also set up two centres of excellence (CoEs) in Bengaluru in collaboration with the Institute of Bioinformatics and Applied Biotechnology (IBAB), the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Platforms (C-CAMP), and NASSCOM, with a total allocation of Rs 16 crore.
The budget also mentions the setting up of a CoE at IIIT Raichur with an allocation of Rs 5 crore.
Further, to expand access to AI skills beyond major cities, AI laboratories will be established in 50 government colleges in tier II and III cities, with a grant of Rs 10 crore, in collaboration with the union governmentâs IndiaAI Mission.
The state is also doubling down on global capability centres (GCCs) to drive technology-led growth. Karnataka was the first state in India to introduce a dedicated GCC policy and currently hosts more than 550 of them, Siddaramaiah said in his speech.
Under the policy, the government aims to attract 500 additional GCCs by 2029, which are expected to employ 3.5 lakh people and generate an economic output of $50 billion, he added.
The budget also outlined several initiatives aimed at strengthening the stateâs deeptech ecosystem. These include the development of an advanced surgical-assistant robot in collaboration with IIIT Bengaluru and NIMHANS, aimed at improving outcomes in neurosurgical procedures.
The Centre for Human Genetics will be expanded to house the newly-established Institute of Advanced Genome Editing and Gene Therapy, along with additional biotech laboratories.
The state will also allocate Rs 10 crore for the first phase of its quantum technology roadmap, which aims to train and develop skilled talent required for the emerging sector over the next five years.
The government has prepared a detailed project report to establish a state-of-the-art science city in Adinarayana Hosahalli in Bengaluru at a cost of Rs 233 crore. The proposal has been submitted to the union government, and the state will take up design and development work once approvals are received, the minister said in the budget speech.
Separately, an analytics cell will be established at a cost of Rs 1 crore to support data-driven governance and policy formulation across government departments.
Mysuru is already home to a growing population of more than 30,000 techies that work across nearly 100 companies, Siddaramaiah said while presenting the state budget for the 17th time â the second highest after Gujaratâs V R Vala.
The CM announced plans to set up a robotics and artificial intelligence (AI) campus in Bengaluru under the aegis of the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), as the state seeks to establish the city as a global hub for emerging technologies.
The new campus, to be called the âBengaluru Robotics and AI Innovation Zoneâ (BRAINz), will be set up by the AI and Robotics Technology Park (ART-PARK) of the IISc in collaboration with the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and Karnataka State Electronics Development Corporation (Keonics). ART-PARK, established in 2020 within the IISc campus in Bengaluru, is Indiaâs first AI and robotics technology hub.
Highlighting Bengaluruâs growing role in the AI ecosystem, Siddaramaiah said the city ranks among the top five global hubs for AI and big data.
The government will also set up two centres of excellence (CoEs) in Bengaluru in collaboration with the Institute of Bioinformatics and Applied Biotechnology (IBAB), the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Platforms (C-CAMP), and NASSCOM, with a total allocation of Rs 16 crore.
The budget also mentions the setting up of a CoE at IIIT Raichur with an allocation of Rs 5 crore.
Further, to expand access to AI skills beyond major cities, AI laboratories will be established in 50 government colleges in tier II and III cities, with a grant of Rs 10 crore, in collaboration with the union governmentâs IndiaAI Mission.
The state is also doubling down on global capability centres (GCCs) to drive technology-led growth. Karnataka was the first state in India to introduce a dedicated GCC policy and currently hosts more than 550 of them, Siddaramaiah said in his speech.
Under the policy, the government aims to attract 500 additional GCCs by 2029, which are expected to employ 3.5 lakh people and generate an economic output of $50 billion, he added.
The budget also outlined several initiatives aimed at strengthening the stateâs deeptech ecosystem. These include the development of an advanced surgical-assistant robot in collaboration with IIIT Bengaluru and NIMHANS, aimed at improving outcomes in neurosurgical procedures.
The Centre for Human Genetics will be expanded to house the newly-established Institute of Advanced Genome Editing and Gene Therapy, along with additional biotech laboratories.
The state will also allocate Rs 10 crore for the first phase of its quantum technology roadmap, which aims to train and develop skilled talent required for the emerging sector over the next five years.
The government has prepared a detailed project report to establish a state-of-the-art science city in Adinarayana Hosahalli in Bengaluru at a cost of Rs 233 crore. The proposal has been submitted to the union government, and the state will take up design and development work once approvals are received, the minister said in the budget speech.
Separately, an analytics cell will be established at a cost of Rs 1 crore to support data-driven governance and policy formulation across government departments.