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India is on an AI mission.

The government plans to procure 10,000 graphics processing units (GPUs) within the next 18-24 months to boost the computing power available for India, said S Krishnan, Secretary of the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY).

Krishnan said the procurement will be conducted via a public-private partnership and will ensure startups have access to the necessary computing power.

ICYMI: The Cabinet on Thursday approved the India AI Mission with an outlay of Rs 10,372 crore for five years to encourage AI development in the country.

Moving on, February turned out to be positive for the Indian startup ecosystem as venture capital funding rose by 21% year-on-year due to the steady inflow of deals. The total VC funding in February 2024 stood at $890 million, cutting across 114 deals. In comparison, Indian startups raised only $734 million during the same period last year.

Lastly, astronomers have observed a distant planet that could be entirely covered in a deep water ocean.

However, unlike the sci-fi film Interstellar—which also shows a planet engulfed in water—the ocean on the exoplanet TOI-270 d “could be upwards of 100 degrees [Celsius] or more”.

In today’s newsletter, we will talk about 

• Chefs are not ready for AI in kitchen
• Sailing through difficult times
• Naturals Salon encouraging women workforce

Here’s your trivia for today: Which metal is also known as quicksilver?

In-depth

Chefs are not ready for AI in kitchen

While restaurants and commercial kitchens in the West are experimenting with AI, back home in India, the new-age technology is still a contentious subject. 

Barring piecemeal adoption of AI, restaurant owners in India are hesitant to let this technology cook full-blown meals, for they believe nothing can replace the magic of human touch and creativity.

A human thing:

• Many chefs in India believe that while AI may help simplify and streamline certain tasks, particularly in the case of replication and consistency, it lacks the adaptability, cultural understanding, creativity and uniqueness that human minds bring to the table. 
• While technologies like AI can certainly help in areas such as standardising recipes, cooking food is a labour of love, believes Om Nayak, chef and owner of The Pasta Bowl Company, Gurugram. 
• CaliExpress, a popular burger joint in California, uses a grill robot by Cucina and a robotic fry station called Flippy. According to reports, Cucina can make 100 patties in an hour, while Flippy can cook up to 250 pounds of French fries at the same time.

<Top Funding Deals of the Week>

Startup: mPokket

Amount: ~$60.4M

Round: Debt

Startup: The Ayurveda Experience

Amount: $27M

Round: Series C

Startup: IDfy

Amount: $27M

Round: Equity

SheSparks

Sailing through difficult times

Harnessing deep conviction will help leaders sail through difficult times, Rohini Srivathsa, CTO of Microsoft India and Southeast Asia, said during a conversation at SheSparks 2024.  

“I think I’ve never been shy about trying something new… many people think that if you are on a particular path that’s the path for you.. to me every day is the first day of the rest of your life,” Srivathsa said in a fireside chat. 

Life lessons:

• In her professional career, Srivathsa rarely shied away from trying something new. As a curious child, she developed an affinity for all things science. 
• She has assumed many top leadership roles across firms before her current stint as CTO of Microsoft India and Southeast Asia. Along the way, she was able to create a niche for herself, which made her stand out regardless of gender.
• As for her advice on sailing through hardships, ultimately for anyone in their leadership journey, she says deep conviction drives them, especially through difficult times. 

SheSparks

Naturals Salon encouraging women workforce

Women take responsibility in times of crisis but, when everything is going well, they walk like a spectator and life moves on, said CK Kumaravel, CEO and Co-founder of Naturals Salon, in a fireside chat. 

“Every woman has potential but they get satisfied very easily. Why are you getting satisfied and why don’t you have a big, large, wild dream?” he asked a packed audience at SheSparks 2024.

Inspiring:

• He pointed out that the world has continuously conditioned women to play a secondary role. However, he believes authority and responsibilities are not given, and women have to take them themselves. 
• He also emphasised that while relationships, family, and motherhood are important, prioritising self-care is crucial. 
• Kumaravel mentioned that Naturals has 500 salons being run by women. “I can proudly say that I have created househusbands,” he said.

News & updates

• Oil reserve: Chinese state-owned oil and gas giant CNOOC Ltd has discovered a new reserve in the South China Sea containing over 100 million tons of oil equivalent proved in place.
• Wordle clones: The New York Times has reportedly filed several DMCA notices over Wordle knockoffs created by GitHub coders, citing its ownership over the Wordle name and copyrighted gameplay including 5×6 tile layout and grey, yellow, and green colour scheme.
• Intrusion: Microsoft said a Russian state-sponsored hacking group that stole information from its senior leadership team is still using that information to gain unauthorised access to its internal systems.

Which metal is also known as quicksilver?

Answer: Mercury 

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