AWS India Partners with iTNT to Expand Gen-AI-Based Solutions for Public Sector

Amazon Web Services (AWS) India announced a collaboration with Tamil Nadu Technology (iTNT) Hub to launch the Generative Artificial Intelligence (Gen-AI) Startup Hub program, which aims to accelerate the development of Gen-AI solutions for society-focused initiatives through a startup ecosystem in Tamil Nadu.

According to an official statement, the program aims to enable startups to build solutions focused on the public sector using Gen-AI tools. The program is expected to further empower startups building solutions for government, healthcare, education, and non-profit sectors working in AI, generative AI, and deep tech.

The new initiative was announced at the Generative AI Startup–Venture Capital event organized by AWS and iTNT Hub in Chennai.

Startups that qualify for this program will receive a range of benefits to help them grow. They will be able to build a solid technical foundation by leveraging the expertise and resources provided by AWS. Each qualifying startup will also receive up to $10,000 in AWS credits to experiment and build with over 240 full-featured services on AWS, including innovative generative AI services and solutions such as Amazon Bedrock, Amazon Q, Amazon SageMaker, AWS Trainium, AWS Inferentia, and more.

AWS will also explore including select startups in the AWS Partner Network (APN), subject to eligibility criteria, which could enable these organizations to accelerate product adoption, market access, and expansion.

Through this program, AWS and iTNT aim to support startups and innovators at all stages of maturity, including registered startups, mature startups, individual innovators, and pre-registration teams. Through this program, startups in incubation will have the opportunity to access research opportunities in industry collaboration, sector consulting to drive market disruption, and funding pathways.

The iTNT Hub will further support identified startups by offering technical expertise and mentoring, providing guidance on business fundamentals and financing, and establishing industry contacts so startups can understand the market opportunity and build their own solutions.

Commenting on the development, Sunil PP, Channels and Alliances Lead, AWS India, said, “AWS recognizes the transformative potential of generative AI, the value it can offer to public sector organizations and citizens, and the role startups can play in accelerating innovation and developing solutions for adoption. By partnering with iTNT Hub, we aim to nurture a startup community that has the foundational capabilities and strengths in generative AI, accelerate innovation using generative AI, and help public sector organizations implement solutions that can create a positive and scalable impact on society.”

iTNT as an innovation hub was set up in 2023 by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY, Government of India) and Department of Information Technology and Digital Services (IT&DS, Government of Tamil Nadu) with support from industry to build a unique network of deep technology innovation in the southern state by leveraging the combined strength of start-ups, innovators, academia, government and industry leaders.