'City of Nawabs' making futuristic stride with green mobility, AI drive

As the world gears up to welcome the New Year 2024, Lucknow – the eponymous ‘City of Nawabs,’ known for its old-world charm and mannerisms – is set to bid adieu to the fading year with new-age technology blueprints up its sleeve!

Far from its rich heritage, cultural, and historical latitude, calendar year 2023 served as a springboard for Lucknow to leapfrog into a domain of cutting-edge Artificial Intelligence (AI) vision, powered by an e-mobility roadmap, thus contributing to the ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’ (self-reliant) theme of the Government of India.

Catalysing its agenda of developing Lucknow as India’s first AI City, the Uttar Pradesh government has initiated the process of selecting a private partner to develop and operate the proposed high-tech hub.

A 40-acre land parcel has been identified, overlooking the Lucknow International Airport on the busy Lucknow-Kanpur highway.

Lucknow's AI City will encompass a holistic value chain for investors operating in the spectrum of AI, Machine Learning (ML), blockchain, etc., spanning startups, data centres, data analytics, AI-based training, data forensics, etc.

Nodal agency UP Electronics Corporation Limited (UPECL) has drafted an action plan for the development of an AI City in Lucknow, aiming to position the state capital as a leading Information Technology (IT) hub in Asia.

To boost such high-tech projects, the UP government has partnered with leading educational and research organisations, including the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kanpur, Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Lucknow, and APJ Abdul Kalam Technical University (AKTU) Lucknow as knowledge partners.

UPECL has invited applications from major developers under the UP Electronics Manufacturing Policy for the design, development, and operation of the AI City, according to a senior government official.

The state will give priority to developers whose annual turnover is in the region of Rs 1,000 crore, and offer a range of incentives. This includes one-time capital expenditure support of 25 per cent, up to a maximum of Rs 20 crore for the IT Park. For the IT City project, the developer will receive capex support of up to Rs 100 crore.

Additionally, 100 per cent stamp duty waiver, along with non-financial aid for lease rental, cloud service cost, electricity charges, and bandwidth expenses will be provided under the existing IT and ITES Policy.

Meanwhile, commercial vehicle maker Ashok Leyland will invest over Rs 1,000 crore in an integrated electric bus manufacturing plant in Lucknow. A memorandum of understanding (MoU) has been signed between the state and the multinational company.

The proposed plant is likely to be set up at the site of the defunct Scooters India Limited (SIL) plant on the Lucknow-Kanpur highway. Initially, the plant will have the capacity to produce 2,500 e-buses per year, which will be gradually expanded to 5,000 vehicles over the next decade.

Ashok Leyland plans to convert its entire fleet of diesel buses and commercial vehicles into electric and other alternative fuels in the future. The Lucknow plant will support its green mobility roadmap for India. Apart from manufacturing e-buses, the plant will assemble other vehicles operated by emerging alternative fuels.

Furthermore, Lucknow constitutes one of the six nodes of the UP Defence Manufacturing Corridor and is home to the prestigious BrahMos missile plant. The six nodes include Lucknow, Kanpur, Jhansi, Aligarh, Chitrakoot, and Agra.

The BrahMos plant is already under development, and once operational, the missiles produced will be supplied to the Indian defence forces. BrahMos is a joint venture between India’s Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and Russia’s NPOM.

“The BrahMos project in Lucknow is a milestone in defence manufacturing. It will not only be revolutionary in technology but will also create thousands of jobs in the state,” UP Industrial Development Minister Nand Gopal Gupta Nandi had earlier told Business Standard.

India, which ranks among the top defence ware importers, is aiming for $5 billion in exports in defence manufacturing in the near future.