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AMD Offers 100,000 Free Cloud GPU Hours and STEM Training to Boost India’s AI and Startup Ecosystem

by VARINDIA 2025-09-06

AMD has announced a major initiative to accelerate India’s AI innovation and digital transformation journey. Over the next year, the chipmaker will provide 100,000 hours of free access to AMD Developer Cloud (ADC) for Indian researchers, startups, and developers, giving them enterprise-grade access to the powerful AMD Instinct™ MI300X GPUs. This initiative is designed to remove cost and infrastructure barriers, allowing innovators to build AI applications, conduct research, and scale solutions faster.

Through ADC, developers and open-source contributors can access cutting-edge GPU resources via a cloud-based platform without investing in expensive hardware. AMD is also creating a dedicated Discord channel where startups and researchers can apply for cloud access and collaborate with the community.

Boosting India’s AI and Startup Ecosystem

Mark Papermaster, CTO and Executive Vice President at AMD, highlighted that the program is aimed at democratizing compute power for startups and independent developers.

“This initiative removes cost and complexity barriers by opening access to AMD GPUs for training and development: no hardware procurement, no heavy upfront spend. By empowering innovators, we strengthen India’s startup ecosystem and the open-source community,” Papermaster said.

Training 100,000 STEM Graduates in AI and GPU Programming

In addition to free GPU access, AMD announced a workforce development program to train 100,000 STEM graduates in India over the next three years. The focus will be on AI, GPU programming, and open-source development, equipping students with critical skills for the next generation of machine learning, data analytics, and high-performance computing (HPC) applications.

Participants will gain hands-on experience with AMD ROCm, the company’s open-source software stack that includes compilers, libraries, runtimes, and tools for building AI and HPC solutions. This training will enable graduates to tackle complex real-world challenges and contribute to India’s growing role in the global AI ecosystem.

Driving India’s Digital Future

With this initiative, AMD is reinforcing its commitment to India’s digital transformation, empowering startups, researchers, and students to innovate without financial or technological roadblocks. By making enterprise-grade GPUs accessible and investing in STEM education, AMD is helping position India as a global hub for AI research, cloud computing, and next-gen digital technologies.

Jaya Jagadish, senior vice president and country head, AMD India said, “India's engineering talent is already shaping the future of high-performance computing and AI globally. This program ensures they have the most advanced tools and knowledge to lead that transformation. We are not just training programmers; we are building the workforce that will drive India's AI economy. When these skilled professionals enter the market with cutting-edge GPU programming expertise, that will create a multiplier effect across industries, directly contributing to India's economic growth trajectory."

The two announcements align with India's Digital India and Make in India initiatives, supporting the development of indigenous capabilities in semiconductor design and AI solutions. The programs recognize India's strategic importance as a talent hub and as a key partner in building next-generation technologies for global markets.