The Government of Goa’s ambition to lead in ethical, responsible, and innovation-led AI adoption has received a major boost as Sarvam AI, India’s first sovereign AI startup, extended its support for the Goa AI Mission 2027. The Department of Information Technology, Electronics & Communications (DITE&C) hosted a virtual session with Sarvam AI, marking a significant step toward building an AI ecosystem rooted in cultural relevance, local language access, and inclusive design.
Sarvam AI, recently selected under the IndiaAI Mission, is building a full-stack generative AI platform tailored for India. During the session, Sarvam AI showcased key products including Sarvam Samvaad (a conversational AI), Sarvam Arya (an enterprise reasoning engine), and Vistaar (a serverless deployment platform)—all built to support Indian languages and contexts.
The discussion was led by DITE&C Director Shri Kabir Shirgaonkar and Joint Director Dr. Milind Sakhardande, along with SeMT leads Ms. Sharda Katare and Shri Amit Bandekar. Sarvam AI was represented by its Founder Mr. Shubham Arora, along with Guru Prabhaker, Director – Sales, and Prerna Bhandari, Public Sector Lead. The focus was on three pillars: policy collaboration, co-development of citizen-centric AI services, and the establishment of an AI Centre of Excellence in Goa.
A key outcome of the session was the shared interest in building a Konkani Large Language Model (LLM). This language model would contribute significantly to the digital preservation of Goa’s linguistic and cultural heritage while enabling AI-powered services for local communities in their native tongue.
Hon’ble Minister for Information Technology, Electronics & Communications, Shri Rohan A. Khaunte, stated, “As the government is working towards creating Centres of Excellence in AI, the goal is to make Goa a hub for applied research, experimentation and industry collaboration. Through the AI Mission 2027, we are laying the groundwork in policy, infrastructure, research, and skills to lead in ethical and responsible AI adoption.”
Shri Kabir Shirgaonkar, Director of DITE&C, added, “Collaborating with industry leaders like Sarvam AI strengthens Goa’s vision of building an AI ecosystem that is not only innovative and sovereign but also deeply rooted in our local languages and cultural context. A key part of this mission is the development of a Konkani Large Language Model, which will help digitally preserve and promote Goa’s rich linguistic and cultural heritage. Their approach ensures that technology benefits every community across the state.”
Goa AI Mission 2027 is already mapping out skill development programs, research infrastructure, and AI governance frameworks. Partnerships like this signal a move from planning to implementation—ensuring that the benefits of AI are not just futuristic, but real, contextual, and accessible to every Goan.
In a proud moment for Goa’s growing tech ecosystem, Mangirish Salelkar, CEO & Co-Founder of Umang Software, took center stage as a key speaker at the ‘AI for India’ – 8th Global AI Leadership Meet. The prestigious forum brought together thought leaders, global tech companies, and policymakers to shape the future of Artificial Intelligence in India and beyond.
Speaking on the global platform, Mr. Salelkar highlighted the transformative role of AI across sectors — from revolutionizing healthcare and modernizing businesses to creating smarter governance systems. With practical insights and a vision rooted in innovation, he emphasized the need for India to lead responsibly and inclusively in the AI age.
One of the major highlights of his address was the introduction of the Goa AI Mission — an ambitious initiative designed to position Goa as a leading hub for AI-powered innovation, talent development, entrepreneurship, and sustainability. The mission aims to:
Establish AI research and development clusters in Goa
Foster AI education and training for youth and professionals
Promote startup incubation and tech entrepreneurship
Collaborate with national and global tech players
“Goa has the talent, infrastructure, and vision to become a meaningful contributor to India’s AI future. The Goa AI Mission is our collective blueprint for inclusive tech-driven growth,” Mr. Salelkar stated.
This event reinforces Goa’s presence on the national and global innovation map, with leaders like Mangirish Salelkar driving bold ideas that combine technology, vision, and impact.
The deep sea, still full of mysteries, holds not just the secrets of human origins but also clues to our long-term sustenance and preservation. To unlock its hidden potential, India’s Deep Ocean Mission was launched on 7th September 2021 by the Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) with the aim to develop technologies for exploring and sustainably utilising the deep ocean’s living and non-living wealth. With an overall investment of ₹4,077 crore spread across five years, this mission is not a one-time dive – it will unfold in phases and is designed as a full-throttle national project, driving forward India’s Blue Economy, which includes all marine-based industries – from fishing and shipping to biotechnology and tourism.
Exploring these depths could provide solutions to global challenges like climate change. Recognising this, the United Nations designated the 2021–2030 decade as the ‘Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development’. India’s unique geography, with 7,517 km of coastline, nine coastal states, and 1,382 islands, gives it a strategic advantage. In the Government of India’s Vision for New India 2030, the Blue Economy has been placed among the ten core growth dimensions. The Ministry of Earth Sciences is leading this multi-agency effort to tap into ocean resources and build a ₹100 billion maritime economy, transforming deep-sea potential into sustainable prosperity.
One of the mission’s key elements is the development of technologies for deep-sea mining and a manned submersible. India is building a self-propelled vehicle named MATSYA 6000, which can transport three individuals to depths of 6,000 meters. This advanced submersible will support India’s future ambitions in commercial mineral exploration. Alongside it, an integrated mining system is being developed to extract polymetallic nodules from the deep sea in the Central Indian Ocean. Another component is the development of ocean climate change advisory services. This includes creating models to understand and predict key climate variables, contributing to climate adaptation and promoting coastal tourism.
The mission also focuses on technological innovations for exploration and conservation of deep-sea biodiversity. This includes bio-prospecting deep-sea flora, fauna, and microbes, with a view to promoting sustainable use of biological resources and boosting marine fisheries and allied services. Through the Deep Ocean Survey and Exploration component, India aims to identify multi-metal hydrothermal sulphide sites along the Indian Ocean mid-oceanic ridges. In terms of energy and freshwater, the mission proposes a proof-of-concept Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion (OTEC) powered desalination plant, contributing to offshore renewable energy development.
To support marine biology and innovation, the Advanced Marine Station for Ocean Biology will be established. This centre will focus on translating research into industrial products, fostering ocean-related entrepreneurship and manufacturing, and building talent through on-site incubators.
The Samudrayaan Project was launched under this mission to deliver on the deep-sea exploration goals. MATSYA 6000, the manned submersible, is designed for a 12-hour operational period and 96-hour emergency capability. It features high-density lithium-polymer batteries, underwater acoustic communication, drop-weight escape systems, and safety vests for life support and health monitoring. The vessel is a spherical titanium-alloy structure with a diameter of 2260 mm and wall thickness of 80 mm, capable of withstanding 600 bar pressure and sub-zero temperatures. The titanium sphere was welded using Electron Beam Welding (EBW), a highly specialised process developed by ISRO’s Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre after over 700 trials. The welding was tested with advanced non-destructive techniques such as Time-of-Flight Diffraction (TOFD) and Phased Array Ultrasonic Testing (PAUT).
MATSYA 6000 is being developed collaboratively by the National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT), the Ministry of Earth Sciences, and ISRO’s Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre. The vehicle has already undergone rigorous dry integration testing up to 500 meters to validate system functionality. Between January and February 2025, wet trials were held at L&T Shipyard in Chennai to assess flotation, control, safety, navigation, and communication systems. Scientific payloads such as oceanographic sensors were also tested.
The demonstration phase included eight dives—five unmanned and five manned. These trials rigorously tested life support systems and the submersible’s performance under real conditions. On August 5 and 6, 2025, India achieved a major milestone with its first ever 5000-meter deep-sea dive. This was conducted in collaboration with IFREMER, the French marine research institute, using their submersible Nautile. Indian aquanauts Senior Scientist Raju Ramesh and Commander Jatinder Pal Singh (Retd) completed successful seven-hour dives, collecting vital data and hands-on operational experience.
The Indian team gained insights into pre-dive procedures, buoyancy control, manipulator operations, flag placement, sample collection, deployment and retrieval, trajectory tracking, and acoustic communication. The Indo-French collaboration is instrumental in advancing the MATSYA 6000 programme, which has already realised and tested the titanium hull, syntactic foam, variable ballast system, and emergency drop-weight mechanisms. Open ocean testing, shallow water demonstrations, and full system integration are scheduled through 2026 and 2027, with deep-water tests and scientific dives set for 2027–28.
India has also made progress in autonomous underwater vehicle development. In December 2022, the Ocean Mineral Explorer (OMe 6000), an autonomous vehicle, explored depths of 5,271 meters in the Central Indian Ocean Basin. Deployed using the research vessel Sagar Nidhi, it surveyed polymetallic manganese nodule-rich zones, helping to map seabed biodiversity and mineral distribution.
India’s Deep Ocean Mission, through these achievements, is expanding indigenous capability in ocean science and engineering. By entering the elite club of deep-sea exploration nations, India is setting the stage for long-term strategic, scientific, and environmental leadership in marine research and resource development.
In a major boost to India’s academic and technological landscape, Sony Research India and Goa University signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on August 14, 2025, to establish the Advanced Artificial Intelligence (AAI) Laboratory — the first industry-supported AI research lab at Goa University. The lab will be housed at the Goa University Research Park Unit (GURU), a hub for innovation, incubation, and industry-academic collaboration.
The MoU was signed in the presence of representatives from both institutions. Sony Research India was represented by Dr. Pankaj Wasnik (Director – T&D) and Mr. Arithy MV (Manager – Strategy & Partnerships), while Goa University was represented by its top academic leadership, including Prof. Harilal Menon (Vice-Chancellor), Prof. Sundar Dhuri (Registrar), Prof. Ramesh Pai, Prof. Sanjeev Ghadi, Prof. Sandeep Garg, and others. Dr. Narayan Vetrekar and Prof. Rajendra Gad will serve as Principal Investigators leading the initiative.
The AAI Laboratory aims to promote cutting-edge research in Advanced Artificial Intelligence, with a special focus on multimodal data — the integration and interpretation of diverse data types such as text, images, and audio. The lab is designed to support a comprehensive research ecosystem that includes:
Fellowship programmes for emerging researchers
Joint research projects with Sony scientists
Guest lectures and workshops
Training programmes to build capacity in AI and related domains
Sony Research India’s participation marks a forward-thinking commitment to nurturing innovation at the university level. The lab will provide infrastructure, mentorship, and collaborative opportunities with Sony’s global AI research teams.
Housed within GURU, the Goa University Research Park Unit, the AAI Lab represents the university’s growing emphasis on research, industrial engagement, and innovation. GURU, created with support from the Directorate of Higher Education, Government of Goa, aims to bridge the gap between academia and industry, offering platforms for intellectual and entrepreneurial development.
For Goa University, this partnership with Sony Research India isn’t just about a physical laboratory — it’s about creating a long-term ecosystem of innovation that nurtures talent, drives impactful research, and puts Goa on the map as a hub for AI-driven academic excellence.
As the first-of-its-kind collaboration at the university, the AAI Lab is a blueprint for future university-industry partnerships in India, offering scalable models for joint research, knowledge exchange, and global skill development in the age of artificial intelligence.
In a transformative leap for orthopaedic care, Goa has successfully completed 50 joint replacement surgeries using Pixee, a revolutionary Augmented Reality (AR) surgical platform developed in France and introduced in India by global medtech leader Meril.
Spearheaded by Dr. Ameya Velingker and his team at Bone and Joint Care, this achievement marks Goa’s entry into the future of surgical innovation.
Pixee is an AR-assisted surgical platform that provides real-time 3D anatomical visualisation during joint replacement procedures. It helps surgeons view exact internal anatomy and make highly precise incisions and alignments, reducing human error and improving the overall outcome of the surgery.
Using smart glasses and tracking systems, Pixee overlays real-time digital guides on the surgeon’s field of view. This ensures:
Accurate bone alignment
Minimal tissue damage
Shorter surgery duration
Reduced post-op complications
Faster recovery for patients
“Integrating Pixee AR technology into our surgical practice has been a game-changer,” said Dr. Ameya Velingker. “We’re now able to visualise patient anatomy in real time, make ultra-precise incisions, and complete procedures more efficiently. This means less blood loss, faster recovery, and better long-term outcomes for our patients.”
While the spotlight is currently on orthopaedics, AR is poised to transform multiple medical fields. Its applications in neurosurgery, oncology, and cardiology are expanding rapidly. Whether it’s guiding a brain surgeon through a delicate procedure or helping an oncologist localise a tumour, AR’s potential to improve safety and precision is unmatched.
This milestone places Goa at the forefront of healthcare innovation in India. Patients no longer need to travel to metropolitan cities for state-of-the-art care. With AR-powered procedures now available locally, Bone and Joint Care is reshaping how surgeries are experienced in the region.
As Bone and Joint Care continues to pioneer advancements in AR-assisted surgery, the future of minimally invasive, precise, and patient-focused care becomes a reality. This is just the beginning of how technology like Pixee is reshaping the surgical landscape — one joint at a time.
