Bengaluru: The Karnataka government Monday announced the launch of KEO, a laptop entirely designed and developed in the state, describing it as “India’s most affordable AI-powered laptop”.
KEO, which stands for knowledge-driven, economical and open source, will help democratise computing among a diverse range of people, including students across Karnataka, the state’s department of Information Technology and Biotechnology (IT/BT) said.
“KEO is Karnataka’s practical answer to the digital divide. It is not a luxury device, it is an inclusion device. Affordable mass computing will allow every student, every small business and every household to participate fully in the digital economy,” Priyank Kharge, Karnataka’s IT minister told reporters at the launch.
He said that it was India’s first AI PC which can handle 4 trillion computations per second.
The product was designed, developed and assembled by the Department of Electronics, IT & BT, Government of Karnataka, in collaboration with KEONICS, semiconductor design companies, startups and others.
The device and the price range will be unveiled Tuesday at the Bengaluru Tech Summit by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah.
However, Kharge said Karnataka did not have plans to immediately start a manufacturing unit and instead had partnered with a semiconductor chip and design company, startups and others to develop the KEO.
“The idea is to take computing, not just learning, to the grassroots. We want to make computing more affordable,” he added.
There have been similar attempts in the past with big announcements to make computing devices more affordable. The Akash tablet of the Ministry of Human Development was one such example which promised to develop low-cost computing devices at just $35.
Budh AI assistant
Though there has been very high smartphone penetration and adoption, computer devices have not fared so well. According to Kharge, fewer than 10 percent of Indian households own a computer, and Karnataka stands at only 15 percent.
“While smartphones are widespread, studies show that computers are essential for academic work, coding, online classes and hybrid learning. Over 60 percent of Indian students reported being unable to participate in online learning due to the lack of a device, directly contributing to higher dropout rates,” Kharge said.
He added that the device was not a luxury product but a bold statement on Karnataka’s taking the lead in driving India’s semiconductor industry.
Sharath Kumar Bache Gowda, Chairman, KEONICS and Congress MLA, said that it had also developed ‘Budh’ an AI assistant tool which was trained in Karnataka’s DSERT syllabus.
He said that the product was initially trained in English but can be expanded to include languages like Kannada.
He added that the product already had pre-orders of 500 units.
Gowda said the state adopting an open-source RISC-V stack would strengthen Karnataka’s commitment to accessible, locally adaptable, home-grown computing solutions.
The government said that if the conflict on rare earth minerals between the USA and China is resolved, then such devices can become low-cost and not just affordable.
(Edited by Viny Mishra)