Maha eyes 1.5 lakh AI jobs as ImagiNxt opens in Mumbai

MUMBAI: With Maharashtra aiming to create over 1.5 lakh artificial intelligence-linked jobs and attract ₹10,000 crore in investments by 2031, chief minister Devendra Fadnavis on Friday positioned the state as a frontrunner in India’s technology-driven growth story at the inaugural edition of ImagiNxt 2026 in Mumbai.Addressing the two-day technology and innovation festival at the Jio World Convention Centre, Fadnavis said AI would reshape business, governance and everyday life, and Maharashtra intended to lead that shift through its recently announced AI policy. “We have laid out an ambitious roadmap to attract over ₹10,000 crore in investments and create more than 1.5 lakh jobs by 2031,” he said, outlining plans for six AI Centres of Excellence, five AI Innovation Cities, a ₹500-crore AI Startup Fund, 12 AI incubators and a shared compute infrastructure of 2,000 GPUs.Fadnavis also linked the technology push to Maharashtra’s broader economic ambitions. Stating that the state had grown from a ₹14 lakh crore economy in 2015 to nearly ₹54 lakh crore today, contributing over 31% of India’s FDI inflows, he said Maharashtra aimed to become a $1 trillion economy by 2030. “Technology, innovation and ease of doing business will remain central pillars of this journey,” he said.Union minister of state for science and technology Jitendra Singh, who delivered the inaugural keynote, said India was entering a “transformative decade” powered by AI, quantum computing, biotechnology, space and nuclear energy. Highlighting the growth of India’s space sector following private participation, Singh said the country’s space economy, currently valued at nearly $9 billion, was projected to expand to $40–45 billion over the next decade.He said India’s space startup ecosystem had grown from single-digit numbers to more than 400 startups in five years, while defence production crossed ₹1.5 lakh crore in 2025 and defence exports exceeded ₹23,000 crore. Singh also referred to a proposed ₹1 lakh crore Research, Development and Innovation Fund to support next-generation technologies and deep-tech ventures.Hosted by Maharashtra Tourism, ImagiNxt 2026 has brought together founders, policymakers, investors, enterprise leaders and academia to deliberate on AI, DeepTech, SpaceTech and digital infrastructure. Organisers said the event is expected to host over 10,000 attendees, with participation from more than 150 speakers, 250 startups and 100 investors.Founder and CEO Deepak Lamba said the opening day reflected the “scale of ambition” building across India’s innovation ecosystem and aimed to foster collaboration between startups, investors and policymakers shaping the country’s next phase of technology-led growth.