Tamil Nadu unveils 'Deep Tech Startups Policy'; inks MoUs worth $1bn

The Tamil Nadu government signed MoUs with investment potential of over $1bn (over Rs. 9,020 crore) with a host of firms in the AI, digital technologies, and allied sectors. This could potentially lead to the creation of over 5,000 jobs, said the government. Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin inaugurated the two-day event 'Umagine TN', an IT Industry symposium involving students, industry, innovators, and investors.

Speaking at the event, MK Stalin said that his government viewed technology as a tool to uplift people, adding that his government has commenced the phased distribution of two million laptops to students of government colleges from across disciplines. Highlighting that Tamil Nadu has managed to achieve distributed growth, he said that technological development and progress were not confined to one city, but were spread across the state. Citing Central Government data, he added that 32 of the state's 38 districts were contributing towards software exports.

The event also witnessed the launch of the ‘Tamil Nadu Deep Tech Startup Policy 2025-26’, a framework for high-risk, research-driven, Intellectual Property-intensive ventures. The policy is aimed at backing 100 startups and mobilising Rs. 100 crore worth of investments over the next five years. The policy is meant to facilitate technology transfer from R&D institutions for commercialisation.

Speaking at the event, Tamil Nadu's Sports Minister and Deputy Chief Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin said that the Sports Development Authority of Tamil Nadu (SDAT) has been undertaking major steps in using digital technology for athlete management. He said that the Athlete Management System (AMS) offers athlete-centric, data-driven training by monitoring training, health, performance, among several parameters. He added that it has already been implemented across 41 sports hostels in the state, benefitting over 5,000 athletes. Further, he said that Tamil Nadu had introduced E-sports in the chief minister's trophy event on a demo basis, and that E-sports has been upgraded to a full competition now, showing the immense potential of the gaming sector.