Software Technology Parks of India (STPI) is planning to transform its nationwide network of centres into artificial intelligence (AI) innovation hubs while expanding its startup incubation ecosystem, a senior official said.
The autonomous body under the Ministry of Electronics and IT (MeitY) is working to convert its network of centres into ‘AI factories’ that will help startups build and deploy artificial intelligence solutions, Arvind Kumar, Director General, STPI told Fe.
Scaling Innovation
“My vision is that the 68 centres across the country should become AI factories where innovators and startups can develop AI solutions. In larger centres we can also create AI experience zones,” Kumar said.
The transition has been earlier advocated by senior MeitY officials, which is build on STPI’s long-standing role in supporting the technology sector, both through startup incubation also through its statutory role in facilitating software exports.
India’s IT and IT-enabled services exporters route their export invoices through STPI for software export valuation and certification, a process that verifies the value of services being exported. Once validated, the certification is shared with the Reserve Bank of India, enabling banks to process the foreign remittance from overseas clients.
“For any IT services export, companies raise an invoice which first comes to STPI. We examine the export valuation and provide certification, which is then shared with the RBI so the remittance can be credited,” Kumar said adding that they now plan to extend the scope of the organisation’s workflow.
The mechanism has been in place for nearly three decades and helps authorities track software export revenues while ensuring compliance in foreign exchange inflows.
Beyond Statutory Roles
Alongside this statutory function, STPI plans continued focus on startup promotion and incubation. The organisation currently operates 24 Centres of Entrepreneurship (CoEs) across the country covering sectors such as healthtech, agritech, blockchain and mobility. Through these centres, startups receive seed funding support, mentorship, global market access and industry partnerships.
On helping early- stage start-ups, Kumar said that STPI provides plug-and-play incubation facilities at several of its centres, allowing them to operate with minimal infrastructure costs. Workspaces are available at around Rs 3,000-Rs 4,000 per seat per month, enabling entrepreneurs to start operations without investing in office infrastructure, he said.
Kumar added that STPI plans to leverage its existing infrastructure to support the next wave of AI-led innovation would be similar to how the organisation supported the country’s IT services growth over the past three decades.
“The IT sector today generates over $200–250 billion in revenue. The same story can be repeated for AI, and STPI can play a similar enabling role using the infrastructure already created for the IT industry,” he said.
Given STPI’s robust presence in Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities, the transitioning to AI hubs is expected to provide impetus to the democratic distribution of AI resources, a key pillar highlighted by both national and global tech leaders during the recent AI Impact Summit held at the national capital.