Maharashtra has set its sights on becoming a global leader in artificial intelligence innovation, with Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis announcing ambitious targets at Mumbai Tech Week 2026. The state has established a ₹10,000 crore investment target in the AI sector and aims to generate 1.5 lakh jobs in the coming years, as reported by multiple sources. Fadnavis addressed startups and technology companies from across India and abroad, inviting them to invest in Maharashtra, calling it "the best place" for AI and technology-driven innovation. The Chief Minister emphasized that the state government is not only supporting incubation and acceleration programmes but is also extending financial assistance through a dedicated 'Fund of Funds' initiative.
Maharashtra is preparing to provide 2,000 GPUs (graphics processing units) through a compute-as-a-service facility to accelerate artificial intelligence innovation, as announced by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis at Mumbai Tech Week 2026. Addressing a group of start-up founders, Fadnavis emphasized that without adequate GPU and compute facilities, innovation in AI would be severely limited. He stated, "Innovation slows down when high-end computing infrastructure is unaffordable. That is why the government is directly creating this infrastructure." The government is developing a 'Compute-as-a-Service' platform under which these 2,000 GPUs will be made available for innovators and technology entrepreneurs directly.
The state has established ambitious targets for AI development, including ₹10,000 crore in AI investments, creating 1.5 lakh jobs, and establishing six Centres of Excellence, as reported by multiple sources. Additionally, the state plans to set up dedicated AI Innovation Zones to support the broader AI ecosystem. Fadnavis explained that various government departments have been encouraged to create 50 AI engines to enable use cases across agriculture, disaster management, crime and surveillance systems, and human resources management. The Chief Minister announced these plans under the state's recent AI policy framework, with the initiative aimed at creating a comprehensive ecosystem around AI technology.
The Chief Minister highlighted the practical applications of AI across government departments, stating that entire surveillance systems are now powered by AI technology, making traffic and disaster management significantly more efficient through trained models. According to multiple reports, this initiative represents a comprehensive approach to AI integration across multiple sectors of government operations. The state has developed 'Crime OS', a platform built in collaboration with Microsoft that digitises investigations and documentation, with the government expecting the system to significantly reduce the time taken to prepare charge sheets and improve coordination across agencies. Preparation of a 15,000-page chargesheet that earlier took three to four months can now be completed within 10 to 12 days using AI-based systems. Fadnavis stressed that "Ethical AI" would remain the core principle of Maharashtra's AI policy, ensuring that AI should not remain limited to large corporations alone and MSMEs must also benefit from the technological transformation.
Fadnavis declared that Maharashtra is positioned to become the start-up capital of the country, addressing previous investor and startup uncertainty about whether to establish operations in Mumbai or other cities. As reported by multiple sources, he noted that the confusion among investors and startups has been resolved, with everyone now choosing to establish operations in Mumbai rather than relocating to other cities. The state's leadership in both startup numbers and investment volumes reinforces its position as India's primary startup destination, with Fadnavis stating that "Mumbai has become The start-up capital of India by sheer numbers and also by investment." The Chief Minister argued that Maharashtra is uniquely positioned to benefit from the AI wave, citing Mumbai's status as India's financial capital and a major fintech hub, a sector that has emerged as one of the largest adopters of AI technologies.
