Building India's AI Future
India's Premier AI Research Organisation
IAIRO was founded to advance India's sovereign AI capabilities through world-class research, frontier innovation, and a collaborative ecosystem of academia, industry, startups, and government.
Dr Amit Sheth
NCR Chair & Professor, USC
Founding Director, AI Institute of SC
Educator | Researcher | Entrepreneur
Note from the founder
India is at a pivotal moment in its technology journey. After building the world's digital backbone, our next frontier is leadership in AI. To make Bharat truly Atma Nirbhar in frontier technologies, we must strengthen research, deepen innovation, and train world-class talent.
Answering the Prime Minister's call to nation-build, I have returned to India after 44 years in the United States, having trained over 55 PhDs and postdocs and built multiple global technology ventures to contribute to this mission.
Together with an exceptional team of researchers, technologists, and entrepreneurs, we aim to position India as a global hub for responsible, frugal, and cutting-edge AI innovation — and help transform our country into a true product nation.
1980 – 2024
44 Years in
the United States
NCR Chair Professor at USC. Trained 55+ PhDs. Founded AI Institute of South Carolina. Built multiple global tech ventures.
2024
Returned to India January 2026 - IAIRO incorporated
Answering PM's call. Established IAIRO at GIFT City as India's sovereign AI research engine.
2030 (Target)
India's Global Top 5 AI Research Org
100+ Trained AI Innovators. 1000+ Skilled. 5+ AI Labs Operational. 20+ Patents/IPs (Pre-Commercialisation). 5+ AI Native Startups Incubated.
The Opportunity
To become a $35T economy by 2047, India must own the technology, not rent it.
AI is rapidly becoming core national infrastructure — in healthcare, finance, education, and defense. The nations that don't build their own AI will depend on others who do. India has a narrow window to lead.
India's Target
Economy by 2047 — Viksit bharat
PM's Vision
Bharat Atmanirbhar
in frontier
technologies
Sovereign AI
Will India own its AI?
AI is becoming core national infrastructure healthcare, finance, education, defence. Nations that don't own the underlying technology will rent it forever, from companies in other countries. The cost of dependency compounds every year.
Strategic imperative
Product Nation
Will India build, or just consume?
India built the world's digital backbone. The next move up the value chain is from services to high-margin products. AI is the once-in-a-generation lever and no one yet owns the application layer. That window is open now. Not for long.
Aligned with PM's atmanirbhar bharat vision
To build India's sovereign AI capability, creating the highest talent needed for strategic autonomy, and a comprehensive ecosystem of researchers, engineers, innovators, and investors to achieve rapid prototyping to global products.
To position India as a global hub for responsible, large-scale and cutting-edge AI innovation, transforming our country into a true product nation where fundamental AI research drives national-scale and globally competitive solutions.
What Drives Us
Foundations of excellence
World-class talent
Driving fundamental and applied research in AI and deep tech with faculty from leading global universities.
Ecosystem approach
Thriving collaboration between industry, academia, and government, ensuring research doesn't stall in the lab.
Sovereign AI
India's strategic autonomy in AI. Building homegrown systems, IP, and platforms, not dependency on foreign technology.
Frugal brilliance
Global ambition with frugal innovation, demonstrating that resource constraints are a strategic advantage, not a limitation.
Our People
Founding team
Researchers from leading universities, entrepreneurs who built AI startups, and technologists from Amazon, Meta, Apple, Netflix, and Snap.
Dr. Amit Sheth
NCR Chair & Professor, USC Founding Director, AI Institute of SC Educator | Researcher | Entrepreneur
Prof. Ramesh Jain
Director, Institute for Future Health, UC Irvine Father of Multimedia Educator | Researcher | Entrepreneur
Prof. Dev Niyogi
Professor, University of Texas | UNESCO Chair for AI, Water & Cities
Prof. Sanjay Chaudhary
Professor & Associate Dean, Ahmedabad University AI in Agriculture | Collaborations | Operations
Juhi Bhatnagar
Snap Inc. | Swiggy | The Wharton School | Mu Sigma Founder, Forj Capital | Entrepreneurship | Private Partnerships
Selvam Velmurugan
Amazon | Netflix | Vulcan | Multiple Startups Engineering | Scaling Technology
Prof. Srinivasan Parthasarathy
Professor, Computer Science and Engineering, The Ohio State University
Prof. Vasant Honavar
Director, Center for AI Foundations and Scientific Applications, Pennsylvania State University
Vipul Kashyap
CEO, MedHive.AI | Clinical Decision Support | Semantics | Ontologies | Knowledge Representation | Decision Modeling
Aman Chadha
Google | Apple | Amazon | AI Research & Engineering Expert
Pavan Kapanipathi
AI Research Scientist, IBM T.J. Watson Research Center | Knowledge Graphs | NLP | Reasoning
Lakshmi Nidamarthi
CEO, Waymakers | Ex-Amazon | Technology & Product | EdTech | Marketplaces | Startup Ecosystems | Corporate Partnerships
Vishal Mehta
CMD, AvenuesAI & Rediff.com | Entrepreneurship | Technology Platforms | AI-led Innovation | Digital Infrastructure
Chandramouli Venkatesh
Amazon | Meta | Microsoft | Applied AI | International experience: USA, India, Japan
Ajai Chowdhry
Padma Bhushan | Co-Founder, HCL | Chair, Quantum Mission | Author, Just Aspire
Sharad Sharma
iSPIRT Foundation / ProductNation | National Startup Advisory Council
Ramesh Jain
Father of Multimedia | Institute of Future Health | Entrepreneur | Researcher | Teacher | Fellow of Six Professional Societies
Amit Sheth
Founding Director & CEO- IAIRO | Educator | Researcher | Entrepreneur | Fellow of Five Professional Societies
Prof. Rajat Moona
Director, Indian Institute of Technology Gandhinagar | Professor, Computer Science and Engineering
P. Bharathi
IAS (2005 Batch) | Secretary, Department of Science & Technology, Gujarat (Ex Officio)
Anita Ramachandran
Leading HR Committee, Founder SOLVEXUS, Advisor Mercer
Steven Pinto
Leading Finance Committee Senior Finance Leader, Chairman Centrum
Our People
Why GIFT
City, Gujarat?
Researchers from leading universities, entrepreneurs who built AI startups, and technologists from Amazon, Meta, Apple, Netflix, and Snap.
Global-standard infrastructure
India's first operational smart city. World-class tech and financial district built for 21st century operations.
Strategic location
Adjacent to Ahmedabad. Proximity to Gujarat's pharmaceutical and manufacturing hubs. Strong academic ecosystem.
Talent & Cognitive quality
High livability index. Access to IIT Gandhinagar, PDEU, Ahmedabad University, and IIMA ecosystem.
Gujarat industry access
Direct access to pharma, energy, and manufacturing sectors — IAIRO's primary applied research domains.
Section 8 not-for-profit organisation
IAIRO is registered as a Section 8 Company under the Companies Act, 2013 — India's equivalent of a nonprofit corporation. All operations and income are directed exclusively toward the advancement of AI research, education, and national capability. No dividends are distributed.
Let's Collaborate
Ready to collaborate?
Join IAIRO as a partner, researcher, or supporter of India's sovereign AI mission.