Telangana Launches Aikam, Global AI Innovation Entity, at Davos

Telangana government has launched Aikam, a first-of-its-kind global AI innovation entity, at the World Economic Forum (WEF) Annual Meeting in Davos, Switzerland, marking a significant step in the state’s ambition to position itself among the world’s top innovation hubs.

Aikam has been institutionalised as an autonomous, unified, and globally oriented platform to translate AI ambition into real-world execution at population scale.

Aimed at placing Telangana among the top 20 global innovation hubs, Aikam brings together AI workforce development, AI-first startup acceleration, and deep research–industry collaboration under a single framework. 

The entity will be supported by population-scale datasets, efficient compute infrastructure, and a dedicated AI fund-of-funds.

Speaking at the launch, CM A Revanth Reddy said, “As the world moves from AI pilots to deployment at scale, we invite global partners to anchor their proving ground in Telangana—where AI is deployed responsibly, governed transparently, and scaled with trust.”

Highlighting the strategic importance of the initiative, Duddilla Sridhar Babu, minister for ITE&C, said, “Aikam enables a clear execution pathway—from ideas to globally scalable solutions. Its autonomous structure, anchored within the Government of Telangana, allows us to move at speed while retaining public trust, enabling responsible AI adoption at population scale.”

A key pillar of Aikam is global collaboration. At Davos, Telangana signed multiple strategic MoUs with international partners spanning skilling, compute infrastructure, applied research, startups, and design-led innovation.

Under these agreements, Pearson plans to anchor a globally benchmarked AI Academy; DMCC (Dubai Multi Commodities Centre) will activate cross-border startup corridors between Telangana and Dubai; Blaize Inc will establish an advanced R&D centre for deployment-ready AI computing; AI CoLab (MedStar–Georgetown Collaboration Centre) will accelerate applied research in healthcare and life sciences; and Journey will lead a global centre of excellence for AI-driven design and immersive digital experiences.

The launch was accompanied by a high-level global panel on ‘Responsible Autonomy: Guardrails for the Age of Agentic AI’, moderated by Phani Nagarjuna, founding CEO of Aikam, and featuring global leaders in AI governance, healthcare, and public-sector innovation. The discussions focused on balancing scale, accountability, transparency, and public trust in increasingly autonomous AI systems.

The event also saw the release of the first edition of the Responsible AI Standard and Ethics (RAISE) Index, a quantifiable framework designed to translate responsible AI principles into measurable, deployment-ready standards across the AI lifecycle.

As Telangana works toward its $3 trillion economic ambition by 2047, it wants to position Aikam as the state’s core vehicle for innovation-led growth, reinforcing its role in shaping the future of the global AI economy.