IT-BT Minister Priyank Kharge at the launch of KEO, claimed it as the state's answer to the digital divide.
Bengaluru: To make affordable computing accessible at the grassroots, the Karnataka government on Monday announced the launch of KEO (Knowledge-driven, Economical, Open-source), an AI-ready personal computer designed and developed in the State.
IT-BT Minister Priyank Kharge said the Department of Electronics, IT & BT, in association with KEONICS, has launched KEO, which is the State's answer to the digital divide.
Though the minister did not disclose the cost of the PC (it will be revealed at the Bengaluru Tech Summit on November 18), he said it will be affordable, and it is built on an open-source RISC-V processor.
KEO has been in the making for a year, and it will be custom-built together with startups and semiconductor companies.
"The idea of the government or the department is to ensure that we make affordable hardware, especially AI-enabled hardware, on a scale, so that we can ensure grassroots computing, which is very important for us. We have partnered with one semiconductor company, and also with a chip design company," the minister said.
KEO features 4G, Wi-Fi, Ethernet, USB-A and USB-C ports, HDMI, audio jack support, and it also comes preloaded with BUDDH, an AI agent trained on the Karnataka DSERT syllabus to assist students even in low-connectivity regions.
"The AI agent will answer any queries almost in real time with respect to the syllabus. And if they want to go beyond that syllabus, they can do that also," the minister said.
As of now, the agent is trained in English and in future, it will include Kannada as well.
Addressing a press conference here, Kharge said, "When it comes to online learning, academic learning or computing, there are not enough computers or affordable hardware in urban areas or rural areas. Studies have found that over 60% of Indian students reported being unable to access online learning opportunities due to the lack of a device. So the idea is to take computing to the grassroots. We want to make computing more affordable."
To begin with, 500 devices will be sold for B2C (business-to-consumer). Sharath Kumar Bache Gowda, Chairman, KEONICS, said that by adopting an open-source RISC-V stack, KEO strengthens the government's commitment to accessible, locally adaptable and home-grown computing solutions.
KEO is designed, developed and assembled in Karnataka. "We have built this with the belief that every student, every engineer, creator, disruptor, innovator and every household will have access to powerful, intelligent computing, not at the top of the pyramid, but at the grassroots. KEO breaks the cost and technology barrier," Kharge said.