Telangana and Blaize sign MoU to launch Telangana AI Innovation Hub for applied AI
The Government of Telangana has signed a non-binding Memorandum of Understanding with Blaize Inc at the World Economic Forum in Davos. The intent: launch the Telangana AI Innovation Hub (TAIH) and speed up applied AI across public sector and industry use cases.
This move positions Telangana to focus on real deployments, not just pilots on paper. The emphasis is clear-link advanced AI computing with domain-ready applications that improve services, infrastructure and outcomes.
What the MoU includes
- Blaize intends to set up a Research and Development Center in Telangana focused on advanced AI computing.
- The collaboration targets applied research, pilot programs and deployment-oriented initiatives aligned with state priorities.
- A structured framework will guide work with line departments and ministries.
- Any pilot or deployment will require applicable approvals and separate project-specific agreements defining scope, funding and deliverables.
Why this matters for government leaders
TAIH is envisioned as an enabling platform to move high-potential ideas into pilots and, where appropriate, into live deployments. The goal is practical impact-better service delivery, stronger infrastructure and measurable benefits for citizens.
By pairing compute capabilities with sector expertise, Telangana is creating a path to build, test and scale projects in areas like public services, urban systems, sustainability and industry productivity.
What officials are saying
Sanjay Kumar, Special Chief Secretary, Department of ITE&C and Department of Industries and Commerce, Government of Telangana: "This collaboration provides a structured pathway to explore AI-driven pilots across critical sectors. By working through specific projects with Blaize, we aim to responsibly evaluate and deploy solutions that improve efficiency, resilience and public outcomes."
Dinakar Munagala, Co-Founder and CEO, Blaize: "This MoU with the Government of Telangana represents a meaningful step toward making applied AI real, scalable and impactful. Through our intended R&D presence and collaboration with TAIH, we look forward to supporting pilot programmes and deployment-oriented initiatives that bring advanced AI computing closer to real-world problems."
Phani Nagarjuna, CEO, Telangana AI Innovation Hub (TAIH): "Our collaboration with Blaize is designed to strengthen Telangana's applied AI ecosystem by connecting advanced computing platforms with government-led use cases. TAIH will serve as a catalyst to help move promising ideas into pilots and where appropriate, into real deployments that deliver measurable impact."
What departments can do next
- Identify 2-3 high-friction processes or services that could benefit from AI (clear problem, available data, measurable outcome).
- Assess data readiness: access, quality, security, and compliance guardrails for each candidate project.
- Define success metrics upfront (e.g., turnaround time, cost per case, accuracy, citizen satisfaction).
- Use phased procurement and tightly scoped pilots with clear handoffs to production if targets are met.
- Plan governance early: model risk management, audit trails, privacy, and bias testing.
- Build capacity: designate a small cross-functional team (policy, data, IT, operations) for each pilot.
About the Telangana AI Innovation Hub (TAIH)
TAIH is an autonomous entity established by the Government of Telangana to foster innovation, research and deployment of Artificial Intelligence. It serves as a bridge between government, industry and academia to solve challenges at population scale.
TAIH operates across six strategic pillars that create a full pipeline from skills to real-world outcomes:
- Talent foundry - develop AI skills for public and private sector needs.
- Impact labs - build and test solutions tied to priority use cases.
- Digital backbone - shared data, platforms and compute to accelerate delivery.
- Capital flywheel - connect projects and startups with funding pathways.
- Acceleration engine - move pilots into implementations with clear milestones.
- Global ecosystem - collaborate with industry and research partners for scale.
Governance and execution
Under the MoU, initiatives will progress through approvals consistent with state policies. Each project will be governed by separate agreements that define scope, budget and deliverables.
This provides departments with a predictable path to experiment responsibly, measure results and scale what works.
Learn more
For context on the forum where the MoU was announced, see the World Economic Forum's annual meeting in Davos here. For information on Telangana's ITE&C priorities, visit the department's site here.
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