Gandhinagar: The Gujarat govt formed a special purpose vehicle, the Indian AI Research Organization (IAIRO), to drive research and development activities at the AI Centre of Excellence (AI CoE), which was inaugurated last Jan at GIFT City in Gandhinagar.IAIRO will function as a private company limited by shares, with govt and private equity in the ratio 11:89, and will function “as a non-profit organisation with the main object for advance research and development activities in the area of artificial intelligence by providing innovation facility,” read a DST notification issued on Jan 8, 2026.The notification said the board of directors will consist of a minimum of two directors and a maximum of 15 directors. The seven directors named in the notification include Amit Sheth, representative of private promoters; Ajai Chowdhary, director; Sharad Sharma, director; Ramesh Jain, director; P Bharathi, SST secretary; a nominee of the Gujarat govt; a nominee of the Union govt; and a nominee of the Indian Pharmaceutical Association (IPA).Under a tripartite agreement between GoI, GoG and private partners, the state govt will contribute 33.3% of the total project cost for research and development for AI and allied services. “The state govt will provide funds up to Rs 100 crore, as a grant/contribution over a period of five years as the state’s share,” the notification said.Earlier, in Jan 2025, the Gujarat govt, in collaboration with NASSCOM and Microsoft, established the AI Centre of Excellence (AI CoE) at GIFT City. The facility was operationalised over an area of 10,000 square feet and provides a collaborative environment for start-ups, industry, and academia, offering high-speed computing infrastructure facilities.BOXFunctions of IAIRO:# To carry out scientific research, innovation, and development in the field of artificial intelligence (AI) and allied technologies # To safeguard, manage, and facilitate the commercialisation of intellectual property (IP) # To act as a knowledge hub, think-tank, and advisory body to the govt, industry, and other stakeholders on matters relating to AI # To raise funds and resources from philanthropic organisations, private and public companies, govt agencies, and national or international bodies
