Uttar Pradesh has announced a ₹2,000 crore gross value addition target from its robotics and AI hub in Noida over the next five years. According to reports from Business Standard, the state government is foraying into new-age domains including robotics and graphics processing unit (GPU) clusters through the 75-acre 'PRAGATI' (Park for Robotics, Artificial Intelligence, GPU Clusters and Advanced Technical Innovation) project. The initiative aims to create 100,000 direct and indirect job opportunities while boosting India's deep-tech ecosystem. As a senior official noted, the project specifically aims to make the state a national centre for robotics and high-tech manufacturing, and reduce dependence on imports.
UP has announced plans for nine mega industrial zones under the flagship Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Employment and Industrial Zone (SVPEIZ) project to attract large private investments. The project will cover all major towns including Lucknow, Varanasi, Agra, Noida, Gorakhpur, Meerut, Ayodhya, Aligarh, Ghaziabad, and Prayagraj. Each zone will be developed around a hub-and-spoke model, aligning with its industrial strengths, available resources, and investment potential. A Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) will be constituted for each hub, with five centres by MSME department, five by UPSIDA, two by UPEIDA, two by YEIDA, one by GNIDA, and one by GIDA.
The UP government has already allocated ₹100 crore for setting up two U-Hubs in Noida and Lucknow. As reported by Business Standard, the Noida U-Hub is positioned as a centre for quantum computing, semiconductor design, physical AI, robotics, defence technology, and advanced biotechnology. The Lucknow centre will focus on applied AI, GovTech, AI solutions for industry and healthcare, biosciences, and agri-biotechnology. Noida was chosen for its electronics manufacturing ecosystem, excellent connectivity, Noida International Airport and a dedicated freight corridor.
The Noida U-Hub has been positioned as India's first integrated robotics and advanced manufacturing cluster. According to Business Standard, state-of-the-art facilities including robotics testing and certification, prototyping, manufacturing, motion capture lab, physical AI data centre, startup incubation, and co-working spaces will be developed. A committee chaired by the IIT Kanpur director studied national and international deep-tech ecosystems and laid the blueprint for the project, with the aim to make the state a national centre for robotics and high-tech manufacturing.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath emphasized that the expansion of the Information technology industry should extend to Tier-II and Tier-III cities. As reported by Business Standard, he directed officials to nurture an environment for global Capability Centres (GCCs), startups, innovation-driven companies, and micro, small and medium IT enterprises. The CM underlined a comprehensive action plan to make Uttar Pradesh a national leader in robotics, artificial intelligence, quantum computing, semiconductors and other emerging technologies. Recently, Microsoft in collaboration with 1M1B Foundation and MeitY's Startup Hub launched UP's first centre for 'Green Skills & Applied AI' at the Lucknow University campus, which will train youth to develop practical AI-powered solutions for climate and sustainability challenges.
