Maharashtra To Develop 300-Acre 'Innovation City' In Navi Mumbai, Fadnavis Stresses On Becoming AI Capital

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has indicated that a 300-acre 'Innovation City' would come up in Navi Mumbai in a bid to stimulate economic activity and spur tech innovations in the state, reported PTI.

Speaking at an event organised by the IT industry association Nasscom, Fadnavis said N Chandrasekaran, chairman of Tata Sons, has pledged to prepare an elaborate paper documenting the major planks of the Innovation City.

The mega project is going to find its shape on the outskirts of the new international airport in Navi Mumbai as part of the state's wider vision of developing a new city center in the area.

Along with the Innovation City, Maharashtra is also establishing a Global Capability Centre (GCC) park in Navi Mumbai, the Chief Minister revealed.

He pointed out that the state is holding active talks with as many as five key GCCs to invest and is looking forward to positive commitments in the near future.

Fadnavis also informed that the government had recently signed several Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) worth $20 billion of investments for data centres.

He assured that a new data centre park would also be accommodated in Navi Mumbai, further strengthening the region's status as a technology and infrastructure destination.

Emphasixing Maharashtra's plans for artificial intelligence (AI), Fadnavis revealed that more than 10,000 women in the state are already undergoing training in AI as part of a tie-up with technology major Microsoft.

He asserted, “Maharashtra wants to be the artificial intelligence capital of the country.”

He also reiterated that technology-driven projects would be making a major contribution to the state's Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP) and forecasted that it would touch $1 trillion in the next four to five years.

In the future, Fadnavis was confident that technology would be a key factor in planning the 2027 Kumbh Mela in Nashik in an efficient manner.