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Lucknow as AI City: Land earmarked for ambitious project, to be completed in two phases
Lucknow's AI City project begins land allocation, aiming to become a global AI hub with tech parks, research labs, and job opportunities by 2025.
The allocation of land to develop Lucknow as AI City is now being done, almost a year after the state government made budgetary provisions for the ambitious project. It is a step to bring the state capital on par with IT hubs of the country.
The AI City project will be completed in two phases, an official said.
“A chunk of land has been identified near the Defence Expo site for the purpose in which Lucknow AI City will be developed as a dedicated and self-reliant technology hub. About 60% of the total area will be developed as a core zone, housing AI innovation centres, technology parks, and advanced research facilities. The remaining 40% area will be developed with residential, commercial, and social infrastructure,” said principal secretary, planning, Alok Kumar.
He said that the project will be completed in public private partnership (PPP) model.
In December last year, chief minister Yogi Adityanath met Tata Sons chairman N Chandrasekaran and later proposed the development of an ‘AI City’ in Lucknow, aimed at positioning UP as a global hub for artificial intelligence, an official statement read.
In July 2025, the plan to develop Lucknow as India’s first AI City received a corpus of ₹10,732 crore as part of a major push to develop Uttar Pradesh as the new IT destination.
“It will feature state-of-the-art data centres, high-performance computing infrastructure, AI research labs, start-up incubation centres, and modern workspaces for global technology companies.”
The project is expected to strengthen the start-up ecosystem and generate thousands of employment opportunities based on future technologies.
The objective is to provide world-class facilities to Indian and international AI companies at a single location, enabling them to develop and scale their projects at a faster pace. The project is being advanced with the goal of positioning Lucknow among the top 20 global AI hubs, a spokesperson said.
As the state capital, Lucknow’s academic and technological ecosystem is a significant strength. Prestigious institutions such as Indian Institute of Management, Lucknow (IIML) and Indian Institute of Information and Technology (IIIT) Lucknow are already playing a role in research, innovation, and skill development. IT experts believe that the AI City will work in close coordination with these institutions to build a strong and future-ready talent pool.
According to a spokesperson, the AI City is expected to generate thousands of direct and indirect employment opportunities. It will serve as a major platform for IT professionals, data scientists, engineers, researchers, and startup entrepreneurs.
At the same time, local youth will gain access to high-quality employment opportunities within the state, reducing the need to migrate elsewhere for jobs. The AI City will be developed on a green and sustainable development model, the release read.
