Karnataka has announced plans to establish a government-backed artificial intelligence university, an AI Innovation Hub, school-level AI learning pathways and next-generation green data centres as part of a broader push to position the state as an AI-native ecosystem.
Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar said the proposed AI university would be built as a major public institution for AI research and talent development. A public statement from the Chief Minister’s office described the plan as a 100-acre world-class AI university campus in Bengaluru, with regional campuses proposed in Kalaburagi, Belagavi, Hubballi-Dharwad, Mangaluru and Mysuru. The state also plans to establish an AI Innovation Hub to support research, startups and collaboration between government, industry and academia.
The education component is being framed from school level upward. The state has said AI learning will be introduced at the school level, while the proposed university and innovation hub would create a longer pipeline for advanced research and applied AI capability. Shivakumar said AI should be used carefully, responsibly and effectively in areas such as education, healthcare, agriculture, public services and small-business competitiveness.
Karnataka is also evaluating two next-generation green data centres for AI infrastructure, one near Bengaluru and another in a coastal district. One location under consideration is Hoskote near Bengaluru, where a proposed 500 MW data-centre project would use secondary-treated water from the Bengaluru Water Supply and Sewerage Board and solar power from the Pavagada Solar Park. Mangaluru has also been identified as a possible coastal location.
The state’s data-centre plans come amid rising scrutiny of the power, water and heat-management demands of AI infrastructure. Karnataka’s technology department has already been examining a sustainable data-centre policy, including site selection, renewable energy access, power evacuation lines and water availability. A committee of senior IAS officers has been formed to evaluate data-centre locations and infrastructure conditions.
Shivakumar has positioned Bengaluru and Karnataka as a base for AI deployment at scale, citing the state’s software exports, startup density and global capability centre presence. The announcement also came alongside Google’s India-focused AI initiatives at I/O Connect India 2026, including developer training, sovereign AI infrastructure and school-level tooling. Karnataka’s emerging strategy links AI talent, public-service use cases, startup incubation and sustainable compute capacity into one state-level policy direction.
