DeepSeek Will Soon Be Hosted on Indian Servers, Declares IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw

Union IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw announced on Thursday that DeepSeek, the popular Chinese open-source AI model, will soon be hosted on Indian servers.
He stated that this decision is aimed at addressing data privacy concerns and enhancing India’s AI capabilities, as reported by media reports. During a press briefing at the IndiaAI Mission event, Vaishnaw emphasized that hosting open-source models within the country will help ensure better data security and compliance with Indian regulations.
Vaishnaw’s remarks come at a time when several Western countries, including the US, have raised national security concerns regarding DeepSeek and its Chinese origin.
The Union Minister also highlighted the role of the India AI Compute Facility, which has secured 18,000 GPUs to support the development of a Large Language Model (LLM) tailored to India’s needs. He mentioned that the initiative aims to keep AI models open and application-driven while ensuring efficient resource utilization.
Vaishnaw further discussed the affordability of the AI compute facility, stating that it would be one of the most cost-effective globally. He noted that the cost would be less than one dollar per unit, with the government bearing the expenses. The government plans to provide subsidies for the next four years to make AI infrastructure both accessible and sustainable.
He added that the real value of AI models would depend on algorithmic efficiency and the quality of datasets used for training. On the infrastructure front, Vaishnaw named several companies that will supply GPUs, including Jio Platforms, CtrlS Datacenters Ltd, Locuz Enterprise Solutions, E2E Networks Limited, and NxtGen DataCenter. He also mentioned ongoing discussions with technical partners to bring expertise in data center management and GPU procurement, ensuring structured and accessible AI computing resources.
The Minister further revealed that major chip designers are interested in collaborating with India to develop indigenous GPUs. He stated that the country’s design ecosystem for chip creation and intellectual property is evolving rapidly.
The government, through the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), is actively working on partnerships to co-develop GPUs. More details on these developments are expected in the coming weeks.