Patna: In a major push to position Bihar as a hub for artificial intelligence (AI), digital innovation and technology-led governance, the state’s department of information technology (DoIT) will enter into strategic partnerships with leading firms including Microsoft India, Google Cloud India, Exonwise (Sarvam AI) and CoRover (BharatGPT) to build a robust AI ecosystem.An official said the state cabinet on Wednesday approved the proposed collaborations, clearing the way for the signing of MoUs. The partnerships are aimed at accelerating Bihar’s digital transformation, with a focus on improving governance, strengthening public service delivery, supporting innovation and entrepreneurship, building digital capacity and creating sustainable economic opportunities.The proposed MoU with Microsoft will provide a framework for responsible adoption of cloud computing, AI and emerging technologies. It will focus on strengthening secure digital infrastructure, enabling inclusive and trusted governance, improving citizen-centric services, encouraging innovation and supporting the growth of the state’s startup ecosystem.Under the partnership with Google, DoIT aims to scale the use of cloud computing, AI, machine learning and generative AI across multiple sectors. The collaboration will facilitate proof-of-concept projects in agriculture, healthcare, education, transport, governance, tourism, sports, smart cities and financial services.The Google Cloud engagement will also include capacity-building initiatives, including advanced training and certification programmes for govt officials and engineers. AI-focused curricula, training resources and master trainer programmes will be developed for engineering, polytechnic and medical institutions. The partnership will also support the creation of a sovereign cloud framework to address data security and compliance needs, along with an integrated data hub and a people empowerment platform to improve citizen engagement and awareness of welfare schemes.The collaboration with Exonwise (Sarvam AI) aims to democratise access to AI and promote indigenous innovation. DoIT’s partnership with CoRover (BharatGPT) will focus on developing “BiharGPT”, a sovereign AI model tailored to the state’s needs.
