IBM has inaugurated an AI GovTech Innovation Centre in Lucknow, signalling a sharper focus on embedding artificial intelligence as core infrastructure for public sector governance and service delivery in India.
The new centre, launched by Yogi Adityanath, Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, is positioned as a collaborative platform where government departments, academia and technology experts can design, test and scale AI-driven solutions for governance. Senior leaders present at the inauguration included IBM chairman and CEO Arvind Krishna, IBM India & South Asia Managing Director Sandip Patel, and Professor Manindra Agrawal, Director of Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur.
As governments grapple with rising citizen expectations, growing regulatory complexity and surging volumes of data, IBM believes AI is moving from experimentation to execution in the public sector. The Lucknow centre is intended to accelerate that transition by developing trusted, repeatable AI use cases that can improve productivity, transparency and the quality of public services.
“AI will define the next era of government effectiveness and economic competitiveness,” said Arvind Krishna. “In India in particular, we are seeing governments move decisively from exploration to execution. The Lucknow centre combines IBM’s global AI expertise with a strong local talent ecosystem, enabling AI ambition to be translated into measurable public impact.”
Alongside the launch, IBM signed two memorandums of understanding with the Government of Uttar Pradesh to support AI-led governance initiatives aligned with the state’s long-term development priorities. Under the first agreement, with the Department of IT and Electronics, IBM will work with state departments to identify and build high-impact AI use cases while strengthening overall digital and AI readiness across government functions.
A second agreement, with the Directorate of School Education, focuses on building foundational AI skills. IBM will introduce an AI literacy programme for students from classes 6 to 12, as well as for teachers, aimed at providing early exposure to AI concepts and hands-on learning to support future-ready skills.
The GovTech Innovation Centre builds on IBM’s broader presence in the state. IBM’s Lucknow campus already hosts a software lab contributing to the company’s global product portfolio, as well as an IBM Consulting FutureNow Centre that enables local talent to work on transformation projects for clients worldwide.
IBM is also expanding its academic collaborations in Uttar Pradesh. The company is working with institutions such as IIT Kanpur to co-create scalable AI solutions in priority areas for the state. One such collaboration was formalised in July 2025 with the Airawat Research Foundation, the Centre of Excellence in AI for Sustainable Cities at IIT Kanpur, to deploy AI-powered systems for monitoring and improving air quality.
Taken together, the new centre and partnerships underline IBM’s intent to position AI not just as a technology tool, but as a foundational capability for modern, data-driven governance—one that can be replicated across departments and scaled beyond the state.