New Delhi: Union Minister for Electronics and IT Ashwini Vaishnaw has challenged India’s leading IT companies, including Infosys, TCS, and Wipro, to develop an indigenous mobile operating system (OS), asserting that the government would extend full support to such initiatives, Moneycontrol reported.

Speaking at the Dataquest India Digital Leadership Conclave in New Delhi on March 7, Vaishnaw said the time had come for India to shift from being a service-oriented tech ecosystem to becoming a product-driven nation.

"I'd like to give a challenge to our big tech companies, like Infosys, TCS, Wipro, to develop an operating system for mobile for our country. They have been doing very well in providing services, but now it's time for us to become a product nation. The government will support this fully," he was quoted as saying by Moneycontrol.

Vaishnaw also underscored the transformative role of artificial intelligence (AI) in India's startup ecosystem, stating that 80% of startups in the country are now AI-powered and nearly 4 lakh AI professionals are working on diverse projects.

He expressed confidence that India would soon emerge as a global leader in advanced technologies.

"We will certainly be among the top few nations in the world who are at the cutting edge of technology," he added.

The minister's remarks come a day after the IT Ministry launched two major initiatives under the IndiaAI Mission — the GPU Portal, which currently offers access to 14,000 GPUs, and AI Kosha, a platform providing non-personal datasets to boost AI innovation.

The government has also received 67 applications from organisations interested in developing the country's own foundational AI model.

In line with its push to tap talent from rural India, Vaishnaw said the government has partnered with the industry to train one million people, primarily in small towns and rural areas, to equip them with AI skills.

"We have tied up with the industry and taken up a program to train one million people across the country, largely in rural areas and small towns, because that is where the talent doesn’t get enough opportunities," he said, according to the report.

Vaishnaw also reiterated the government's commitment to developing an indigenous chipset, stating that consultations with experts were ongoing and the chipset was expected to materialise within the next 3-4 years.