Dayananda Sagar University partners with NVIDIA to launch India’s first academic AI factory

At the NDTV AI Summit 2026, Dayananda Sagar University announced a collaboration with NVIDIA to establish what it describes as India’s first Academic AI Factory — a high-performance computing facility designed to help students build and train advanced artificial intelligence models.

Pro-Chancellor D. Premachandra Sagar said the initiative marks a shift from merely using AI tools to creating them within universities. The facility will run on 20 NVIDIA B200 Blackwell nodes delivering 160 GPUs, providing large-scale computing power typically available only in industrial research labs.

The infrastructure will allow students to train foundation models and develop a proprietary DSU GPT platform. According to the university, the aim is to enable hands-on AI research rather than limiting learners to application-level exposure.

Beyond core AI, the factory will integrate robotics, augmented and virtual reality, cybersecurity through cyber-range collaborations, and digital twin technologies. The programme will also extend across disciplines — including law, medicine, engineering and management — promoting interdisciplinary learning.

Sagar said the initiative intends to democratise access to high-end computing for nearly 40,000 students, especially those studying in tier-2 institutions. By equipping the campus with industry, grade infrastructure, the university aims to nurture talents who can create AI systems instead of relying on technologies imported from abroad.

This undertaking is a sign of a more extensive movement in India's higher education ecosystem to build homegrown AI capabilities and reshape India from being a global technology consumer to a creator.