Microsoft-Yotta partner to bring Azure AI to Shakti Cloud for IndiaAI

Microsoft and Yotta Data Services have joined hands to offer the former's Azure AI services on Shakti Cloud, the latter's cloud platform, the two companies said in a press note. The partnership will help Microsoft and Yotta engage with IndiaAI Mission participants, government agencies, IITs, start-ups, enterprises, and software development companies to leapfrog AI innovation, they said.
'Our partnership with Yotta to power Shakti Cloud will help unlock AI innovation at scale. India is already among the top global markets in AI adoption and return on investment. Together with Yotta, we will continue to help India become an AI-first nation, securely and responsibly,' said Puneet Chandok, president, Microsoft India and South Asia.
The central government has announced a Rs 10,372 crore IndiaAI Mission with seven key pillars, including enhancing India's compute capacity, building an IndiaAI innovation centre, creating and managing an AI datasets platform, and launching an application development initiative, among others.
Against the targeted procurement of 10,000 graphics processing units (GPUs)—a key hardware component required for developing foundation models, large language models, and small language models—the government received nearly 18,500 GPUs in the first round of bidding and hopes to receive bids for another 15,000 in the second round.
Union Minister for Electronics and Information Technology Ashwini Vaishnaw has also announced the government's intent to help companies build a sovereign foundation model within the next 10 months. The development of the foundation model is also being undertaken under the IndiaAI Mission.
'The Microsoft-Yotta partnership will give access to cutting-edge AI capabilities to all Indian enterprises and provide a significant boost to the nation's AI ambitions,' the companies said.
'This partnership is a key step towards India's AI self-reliance and digital transformation, and we are excited to support Indian enterprises in their journey towards AI excellence with a full gamut of offerings. The combined strength of Microsoft's services, backed by Yotta's infrastructure, gives access to some of the best capabilities to support AI development in the country. It will make cutting-edge AI capabilities accessible to Indian enterprises of all sizes,' said Sunil Gupta, chief executive officer and co-founder, Yotta Data Services.

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Learn with AIFact CheckingText to SpeechAI Summary

Related Articles

Economic Times

15 minutes ago

• Economic Times

Higher crude oil prices a net positive for upstream cos, possibly for OMCs too: Kotak Equities

The recent rise in crude oil prices may prove beneficial not only for upstream oil companies but also for oil marketing companies (OMCs), according to a report by domestic brokerage firm Kotak Institutional Equities. ADVERTISEMENT In a recent note, the brokerage highlights that the latest rally in oil prices, with Brent crude being up 15% since early June, could aid upstream companies such as ONGC and Oil India by lifting their net realizations and earnings. "Brent has moved up to US$85/bbl from US$74/bbl earlier in the month," the brokerage said, adding that every US$1/bbl increase in Brent prices adds Rs 2.4–2.5/share to ONGC's EPS and Rs 3.5–4/share to Oil India's EPS, assuming no changes in government levies. According to Kotak, ONGC's base case assumes an oil price of US$80/bbl Interestingly, the brokerage also sees the potential for OMCs to benefit from higher oil prices under current market conditions. 'Oil marketing companies (BPCL, HPCL, IOCL) may benefit too, if the government maintains current pump prices,' Kotak stated. The report notes that despite the recent increase in Brent prices, auto fuel prices have remained unchanged in India, implying potential margin expansion for OMCs. ADVERTISEMENT "OMCs are seeing marketing margins rise to Rs 5.6/liter for diesel and Rs 7/liter for petrol," the report stated, assuming average Brent at US$85/bbl and a USD/INR exchange rate of Kotak points out that HPCL's marketing EBITDA was Rs 3.5/liter in FY24, suggesting that current margin levels may offer substantial upside if they persist. The firm acknowledges that while refining margins remain modest, the improving marketing profitability may offset those concerns. ADVERTISEMENT On refining, the brokerage notes that gross refining margins (GRMs) continue to be relatively weak, with Singapore complex GRM currently at US$3.5–4/bbl, and diesel cracks at US$13–14/bbl, which are below seasonal averages. Also read: HDB Financial Services GMP at 6.3% ahead of IPO. What should investors do? ADVERTISEMENT Nevertheless, the note emphasizes that product cracks are not as weak as GRMs suggest, and that the margins are still acknowledging the volatility in the crude market, Kotak Institutional Equities underlines that higher oil is unequivocally good for upstream companies and may not hurt OMCs in the near term either. ADVERTISEMENT The brokerage firm also stated that it continues to prefer ONGC and Oil India among upstream players and maintains a 'buy' rating on both stocks. (Disclaimer: Recommendations, suggestions, views and opinions given by the experts are their own. These do not represent the views of The Economic Times) (You can now subscribe to our ETMarkets WhatsApp channel)

Economic Times

15 minutes ago

• Economic Times

IdeaForge bags around Rs 137 crore drone order from Indian Army

Drone technology firm ideaForge Technology has secured an order worth about Rs 137 crore for hybrid mini unmanned aerial vehicles systems from the Indian Army through the emergency procurement route, the company said on Monday. ideaForge said a key requirement during the assessment for the selection of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) was that all critical sub-components must be sourced from non-border-sharing nations, and that the platform be substantially indigenous in capability and design. "ideaForge Technology has secured a significant win through the emergency procurement route. The order, valued at approximately Rs 137 crore, has been placed by the Indian Army for its high-performance hybrid Mini UAV systems, which are already battle-tested and inducted into the Army's inventory for ISR (Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance) operations," the company said in the statement. The company has its research and development and manufacturing units in Navi Mumbai, Bengaluru, Delhi, and the US.

Time of India

17 minutes ago

• Time of India

Middle East conflict stalls 1 lakh tonnes of India's basmati rice exports to Iran

Nearly 1 lakh tonnes of basmati rice shipments bound for Iran have been stranded at Indian ports as the ongoing Israel-Iran conflict disrupts maritime logistics and insurance coverage, according to the All India Rice Exporters Association (AIREA) on Monday. Association president Satish Goyal said consignments amounting to roughly 1,00,000 tonnes, primarily stuck at the Kandla and Mundra ports in Gujarat, cannot be shipped due to a lack of vessels and insurance options for Iran-bound cargo amid escalating tensions in the region. "Iran accounts for 18–20 per cent of India's total basmati rice exports ," Goyal told PTI. With international conflicts not typically covered under standard marine insurance, exporters have been left in limbo, unable to fulfil shipments or secure payments. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Palencia : Qué compañía eléctrica tiene las facturas más baratas? Energía más barata Undo The halt in exports is already rippling into the domestic market. "Prices of basmati rice have dropped by ₹4–₹5 per kg," he said, warning that prolonged disruption could lead to serious financial strain for Indian exporters. The association is currently in discussions with the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) and is scheduled to meet Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal on June 30 to seek intervention and relief measures. Live Events Iran remains India's second-largest market for basmati rice after Saudi Arabia. In the financial year 2024–25, which ended in March, India exported around 1 million tonnes of basmati rice to Iran. India's total basmati exports stood at about 6 million tonnes in 2024–25, with demand largely concentrated in the Middle East and West Asia. Other key buyers include Iraq, the United Arab Emirates, and the United States. With inputs from PTI