Netweb, Bud Ecosystem team up to build affordable, localised AI infra in India

Netweb Technologies India has entered into a partnership with Bengaluru-based AI research and product firm Bud Ecosystem on Thursday to co-develop affordable, localised artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure solutions aimed at accelerating AI adoption across India’s public and private sectors.

The collaboration combines Netweb’s track record in high-performance, scalable, and energy-efficient enterprise computing systems with Bud’s AI foundry software stack to deliver ready-to-deploy, modular AI systems tailored for sectors such as education, healthcare, retail, agriculture, and small businesses.

As part of the alliance, the companies will jointly develop AI-in-a-Box solutions — pre-configured systems that integrate optimized hardware and software to provide AI capabilities even in environments with limited connectivity or technical resources. The design is modular, allowing customers to begin with CPU-based setups and upgrade to GPU or accelerator-based configurations as workloads and scale evolve.

“Our collaboration with Bud Ecosystem reinforces our vision of building trusted, scalable, and inclusive compute infrastructure for India’s digital growth,” said Swastik Chakraborty, VP-Technology, Netweb Technologies. “Together, we are making AI accessible where it matters most — across communities, institutions, and enterprises.”

The initiative comes at a time when enterprises across India are beginning to confront long-standing barriers: high infrastructure costs, limited reliable connectivity, and concerns around data privacy and sovereignty. The Netweb-Bud partnership aims to address these by offering localized deployment, offline functionality and robust data control alongside cost-effective, easily upgradeable hardware.

The joint offering will include plug-and-play edge AI systems embedded with Bud’s custom-developed large and small language models (LLMs and SLMs), multilingual AI models such as HEX1, domain-specific custom AI agents, efficient inference engines, and a comprehensive AI foundry layer designed to simplify and scale AI implementation across sectors.

“This partnership brings together Bud Ecosystem’s deep expertise in AI software with Netweb’s proven strengths in hardware and middleware engineering,” said Linson Joseph, Chief Strategy Officer, Bud Ecosystem. “Our shared mission is to make advanced AI truly deployable — anywhere and everywhere — from metropolitan hubs to the most remote corners of rural India. Together, we aim to simplify and localise AI for every sector that stands to benefit from it.”

Industry observers view such collaborations as key to democratizing AI infrastructure and driving India’s transition from AI adoption to AI innovation. According to industry reports, India’s AI data-centre market alone is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 35.1% between 2025 and 2030, with revenues rising from approximately US$588.6 million in 2024 to US$3,553.9 million by 2030. Furthermore, broader forecasts suggest India’s AI market could reach US$17-22 billion by 2027, growing at 25-35% annually.