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          INDIGRID PARTNERS WITH NORWEGIAN CLIMATE         effective sourcing of inputs. Andhra Pradesh has offered land
           INVESTMENT FUND, OTHERS FOR TRANSMISSION        options at Machilipatnam, Ramayapatnam, or Mulapeta for the
                       PROJECTS IN INDIA                   proposed refinery and associated petrochemicals complex.
       Power sector infrastructure investment trust IndiGrid announced                                          INFRASTRUCTURE
       that it has formed strategic partnerships with British International   GOVERNMENT INVITES BIDS FOR AI INFRASTRUCTURE
       Investment (BII), the Norwegian Climate Investment Fund, and   PROVIDERS UNDER `10,372 CRORE INDIA AI MISSION
       Techno Electric and Engineering Company to develop greenfield   The government has announced a call for bids to empanel
       Interstate Transmission System (ISTS) projects across India.  artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure providers under the
       During the fiscal year 2024, IndiGrid successfully operationalized its   `10,372-crore India AI Mission, which received cabinet approval
       first greenfield ISTS project, Kallam Transmission, and secured five   in March. The mission aims to develop a robust AI ecosystem
       additional projects in both ISTS and Battery Energy Storage Systems   by providing access to high-speed computing infrastructure,
       (BESS). These projects represent a tentative capital expenditure of   including graphics processing units (GPUs), accelerators, and
       approximately `2,000 crore, which is set to be deployed over the   Tensor Processing Units (TPUs), to various stakeholders such as
       next 12-24 months. As part of this collaboration, BII and Norfund   academia, startups, researchers, and government bodies.
       (through KNI India AS, Norfund’s joint venture with KLP, Norway’s   Empaneled entities, including data centers and cloud service
       largest pension company) will invest in three of IndiGrid’s ISTS   providers, will offer these AI services at competitive rates
       projects won last year, which are currently under construction.   determined through the bidding process. The mission, managed
       These projects include Ishanagar Power Transmission (IPTL),   by IndiaAI under the Digital India Corporation, will feature over
       Dhule Power Transmission (DPTL), and Kallam Transco (KTCO). The   10,000 GPUs to support the development of AI technologies.
       projects aim to support the evacuation of around 6 gigawatts   Abhishek Singh,  Additional Secretary  at the  Ministry  of
       (GW) of renewable energy in the states of Madhya Pradesh and   Electronics and IT (MeitY), emphasized that the IndiaAI Mission
       Maharashtra. Additionally, Techno Electric and Engineering   aims to address the high cost of GPU-based cloud services in India,
       Company will co-develop the IPTL and DPTL projects. Techno will   which are currently double the rates in countries with extensive GPU
       contribute minority capital and will be responsible for the complete   installations. The bid document, issued by MeitY, specifies that
       execution of these projects on a Lump Sum Turnkey (LSTK) basis.   the selected agencies will provide high-performance computing,
       IndiGrid plans to acquire full ownership of these projects once they   network, and storage services necessary for the mission’s initiatives,
       become operational and start generating revenue.    including the development of large language models (LLMs)
       Rohit Anand, Head of Infrastructure Equity, Asia at British   and other AI applications. The process will involve a transparent
       International Investment, emphasized the importance of this   bidding procedure to ensure that AI services are provided at the
       initiative, stating, “India requires a substantial investment of `4.75   lowest possible rates. Empaneled providers will be engaged for a
       lakh crore in the transmission sector to facilitate the integration of   36-month period, with the potential for extension based on mutual
       renewable energy capacities and meet its decarbonization goals.   agreements. The IndiaAI Mission will subsidize the AI service costs
       As a long-term partner and committed climate finance provider   for approved projects. Interested bidders must be capable of
       to India, we are delighted to bring not just our capital but also our   offering 1,000 AI compute units within six months of signing the
       ESG expertise to support the transmission sector, which is a vital   agreement, with each unit required to have a processing speed of
       part of India’s energy transition.”                 at least 15 teraflops (TFLOPS). Nvidia, a leading GPU manufacturer,
       IndiGrid CEO Harsh Shah highlighted the growth potential, saying,   is expected to play a significant role in this initiative. The deadline
       “On the back of India’s commitment to energy transition and grid   for bid submissions is September 6.
       parity across renewable energy technologies, including BESS,
       we are witnessing tremendous investment opportunities in our   CABINET APPROVES `15,611 CRORE FOR BANGALORE
       target areas. This offers a compelling prospect for investors with a   METRO RAIL PHASE-3
       preference for sustainability.”                     The Cabinet recently greenlit Phase-3 of the Bangalore Metro
                                                           Rail Project, which will see the development of two elevated
             SHIPPING MINISTRY PROPOSES NEW PORT           corridors stretching 44.65 km and comprising 31 stations, at a
       CONSTRUCTION IN ANDHRA PRADESH TO COMPLEMENT        cost of  `15,611 crore. Phase-3 includes Corridor-1, running 32.15
                       PLANNED REFINERY.                   km from JP Nagar 4th Phase to Kempapura along the Outer Ring
       The Shipping Ministry has proposed constructing a new seaport in   Road West, featuring 22 stations. Corridor-2 extends 12.50 km from
       Andhra Pradesh alongside Bharat Petroleum Corp’s (BPCL) planned   Hosahalli to Kadabagere along Magadi Road, with nine stations.
       refinery. This strategic move aims to streamline development and   Upon completion, Bengaluru’s metro rail network will total 220.20
       reduce costs by integrating the port’s construction with the refinery.  km. “This expansion will significantly ease traffic congestion and
       A senior official from the Shipping Ministry recently informed   improve connectivity across key areas of Bengaluru, including the
       federal and Andhra Pradesh officials about this plan, emphasizing   Outer Ring Road West and Magadi Road,” the government stated.
       its economic benefits. Integrating the port with the refinery is   The new corridors will provide direct access to the international
       expected to lower construction costs and provide a steady   airport and Outer Ring Road East, connecting major IT hubs
       stream of business for the port, with the refinery serving as a key   and integrating with existing and upcoming transport facilities,
       anchor customer. Indian refineries, which primarily import crude   including bus stands and railway stations. The project is expected
       oil, benefit significantly from proximity to ports to facilitate cost-  to handle around 2.6 million riders daily once operational.


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