Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath inaugurated India’s first Artificial Intelligence (AI) enabled multidisciplinary university on July 26 at Unnao in Uttar Pradesh. Chandigarh University campus is situated on the Lucknow-Kanpur Road is a major move to position Uttar Pradesh, as a centre of cutting-edge education and technological advancement. The campus of university is about 63.53 acres in the Lucknow State Capital Region. The campus is set to revolutionise the education with AI-integrated courses and state-of-the-art infrastructure. Industry partnerships from renowned multinational corporations will enable the students to compete globally.
Speaking at the inauguration, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath stated, “The Unnao campus is a shining example of our government’s mission to provide affordable and quality education rooted in technological relevance. This institution will equip students to become part of the future global workforce and make Uttar Pradesh as a leader in education and technology.” He also pointed out that in the last six years, the state government has made efforts day and night to get global educational institutions in Uttar Pradesh and the opening of Chandigarh University is an example of the efforts.
The inauguration was witnessed by a number of dignitaries, including Uttar Pradesh Higher Education Minister Yogendra Upadhyay, Technology and Investment Minister Nand Gopal Gupta, Rajya Sabha MP and Chancellor Satnam Singh Sandhu, Unnao MP Sakshi Maharaj, University Managing Director Jai Inder Singh Sandhu and Pro-Chancellor Prof. Himani Sood. Guests from over 20 top national and international firms such as Google, Microsoft, IBM and Rabbit AI were also present, which reflects the university’s solid connection with industry leaders.
Minister of Higher Education Yogendra Upadhyay emphasised that the university contribution is the economic aspirations for the state. “Uttar Pradesh will be a one trillion-dollar economy in the next five years and provides employment opportunities for 1.5 crore youths. Unnao campus will make students to get world-class education without moving out of their native state,” he said. He also clarified that every course at the university would incorporate AI-based technologies so that students can develop proficiency in areas like machine learning, data science, cybersecurity and fintech.
Vice Chancellor Satnam Singh Sandhu addressed the alignment of the campus with the national AI vision of India. “While Prime Minister Narendra Modi appreciates the changing capabilities of AI, Chandigarh University is determined to translate his vision of positioning Bharat as an international hub in artificial intelligence into a reality,” he stated. Jai Inder Singh Sandhu, Managing Director, revealed that ₹40 crore worth of scholarship has been assigned to students, including Rs 3 crore exclusively for research scholars under the elite CV Raman Scholarship scheme.
The Unnao campus will begin academic work in the 2025-26 session with 45 AI-enabled courses in six main streams such as engineering, business management, computer science, health sciences, liberal arts and law studies.
AI University and Aatmanirbhar Bharat
India has already taken a big leap in emerging technology by opening its first specialised Artificial Intelligence (AI) University in Mumbai. The university has plan to fulfill India’s increasing need for AI experts, which is predicted by NASSCOM to hit 1 million trained professionals by the year 2030. It provides specialised courses in machine learning, robotics, natural language processing and computer vision. The cutting-edge research facilities and incubation hubs has been incorporated in this university.
Under IndiaAI Mission (2024), the government of India spent around Rs 10,300 crore over five years for the development of AI. Some of the notable investments are putting 18,693 GPUs in an open GPU infrastructure to aid startups and researchers
The AI University is integrally connected to the Aatmanirbhar Bharat (Self-Reliant India) vision. The AI market in India is anticipated to touch USD 7.8 billion by end of 2025 at a CAGR of 20.2 per cent. This university will be central to driving domestic innovation to capitalise on this opportunity. By engaging with industries and startups, it will promote indigenous AI solutions to be developed locally, minimising the need for imported technology.
Startups incubated within the university will be aimed at affordable AI applications that include precision agriculture tools, predictive diagnostics in healthcare and manufacturing automation. Research in local language processing will help Indian masses have greater access to digital services throughout the country.
Developing Uttar Pradesh through AI
This university represents an important step toward achieving the mission of not only having India become a user but becoming a global leader in AI innovation, which will go directly toward helping the nation achieve self-reliance and economic growth. The campus is set to cultivate a culture of innovation and entrepreneurship. It will promote students to set up startups and grow to achieve technological advancements. Thus making Uttar Pradesh a new hub for research and innovation in north India. The university’s model of education is employment-driven and technology-driven, a goal identified with the overall ambition of the government of empowering youth with future-capable skills.
In May 2025, Uttar Pradesh launched the AI Pragya initiative in Lucknow empowering youth with AI skills. World Bank support the UP-AGRIS program with Rs 4,000 crore, revolutionising farming for 10 lakh farmers through smart irrigation, drone mapping, AI-driven market and shaping a tech-driven rural future.
Initiative like AI Pragya has made possible for private firm to the launch this AI-boosted university, it is happening when Uttar Pradesh is fast emerging as a hotbed for technological and educational investments. Even the state government has envisioned India’s first AI City in Lucknow, with investment of Rs 500 crore and industry commitments of Rs 2,500 crore. Combined, these projects are likely to solidify Uttar Pradesh’s position as a major hub for education and innovation in India.
Chandigarh University Unnao campus is set to transform the region’s academic and economic growth. By bringing the latest technology and quality education together the institution will lead to the way in developing the future workforce and contributing enormously to India’s emerging AI ecosystem and will support Aatmanirbhar Bharat.
