The Tamil Nadu Artificial Intelligence Mission will be set up to develop guidelines for constructively leveraging Artificial Intelligence (AI) in education, employment, industry, research and medicine, and to establish clear protocols for its utilisation, Finance Minister Thangam Thennarasu said in his Budget speech for 2024-25.

The government was carefully analysing recent developments in AI and their implications across various sections of Tamil society. The mission will involve professors from leading educational institutions in Tamil Nadu, executives from the electronics industry, and experts in the field, he said.

The State Data Centre will be upgraded with cloud computing infrastructure and disaster data recovery facility by the Electronics Corporation of Tamil Nadu Ltd. (ELCOT) at a cost of ₹200 crore over the next five years, the Minister said.

Free Wi-Fi will be provided at 1,000 prime locations in all Municipal Corporations, including Coimbatore, Madurai, Tiruchi and Salem, similar to the facility being set up in Chennai, he added.

Tidel Parks were being set up in Madurai at a cost of ₹350 crore, covering 6.4 lakh sq. ft., and in Tiruchi at a cost of ₹345 crore, covering 6.3 lakh sq. ft. Additionally, Neo Tidel Parks were being established in Thanjavur, Salem, Vellore, Tiruppur and Thoothukudi. The initiatives were expected to generate employment opportunities for 13,000 people, according to the Budget speech.

With Coimbatore emerging as one of the fastest growing cities in the country, there was an increasing need for office spaces catering to high-end jobs in sectors such as information technology, life sciences, aerospace, and research and development in engineering. Considering these factors, a state-of-the-art IT Park will be constructed in two phases by ELCOT in Vilankurichi, covering an area of 20 lakh sq. ft., at a cost of ₹1,100 crore, Mr. Thennarasu said.