‘Futurise’ : Karnataka Unveils Spacetech, IT & Startup Policy 2025-30, unveils India-made KEO Computer

By R Anil Kumar

Bengaluru. Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah flags off 3-day Bengaluru Tech Summit 2025, unveils Indian-made KEO computer.

The theme for this year’s three-day summit is ‘Futurise’, as the BTS 2025 is expected to include a number of global leaders, policymakers, investors, tech startups, and innovators across sectors like deep tech, biotech & health tech, semiconductors, and startup innovation.

The inaugural event also saw the launch of KEO (short for Knowledge-driven, Economical, Open-source), an affordable AI-ready computer made in India.

Developed by the Karnataka State Electronics Development Corporation Ltd (KEONICS), this computer’s AI core has become a major talking point, as it runs AI applications locally, instead of relying on cloud services.

Developed initially for AI-ready grassroots education, the launch of KEO is part of a broader push for “accessible, locally adaptable, home-grown computing”.

Over 80 knowledge sessions and more than 5,000 curated meetings are expected to take place at the summit, set to welcome participants from all over India, as well as from 60 other countries.

The Karnataka CM was accompanied by Deputy CM D.K. Shivakumar, Large and Medium Industries Minister M.B. Patil, IT Minister Priyank Kharge, and industry leaders like Biocon chief Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw and Infosys co-founder Kris Gopalkrishnan.

Among the prominent foreign delegates are Nicholas Reece, Lord Mayor of Melbourne, Australia; Rafal Rosinski, Deputy Minister of Digitisation, Poland; Ilse Aigner, President of the Bavarian State Parliament, Germany; and Jan Christian Vestre, Minister of Health and Care Services, Norway.

With the SpaceTech Policy 2025–2030, the aim is to position the state as the country’s leading space technology hub, capturing 50% of the national market and 5% globally by 2034, CM Siddaramaiah said at the inauguration.

“With this data-driven, emerging technology-ready Karnataka Information Technology Policy 2025–2030, we aim to transform the state into a global destination for innovation and deep tech,” Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said at the inaugural ceremony of the 28th edition of BTS.

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With the SpaceTech Policy 2025–2030, the aim is to position the state as the country’s leading space technology hub, capturing 50% of the national market and 5% globally by 2034, he said.

Siddaramaiah also said that the new Startup Policy aims to enable the creation of 25,000 startups over the next five years through strategic interventions in funding, market access, infrastructure, talent development, and social inclusion.

Bengaluru is home to over 16,000 startups and the state accounts for nearly 47% of India’s total startup funding.

Addressing delegates at the BTS event, the CM said Karnataka is India’s largest R&D and product development hub.

Karnataka contributes 42% of the country’s IT exports, valued at over Rs 3.2 lakh crore, growing at 27% year-on-year.

Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar said 60 nations are participating in the event. “Over 1,200 exhibitors, 15,000 delegates, and more than 10,000 startups are attending the BTS event,” he said.

At the inauguration, the Karnataka government also announced the launch of KEO (Knowledge-driven, Economical, Open-source), an AI-ready personal computer designed and developed in the state for Rs 18,999.

Karnataka has attracted 80% of India’s greenfield FDI in biotech.

Large and Medium Industries Minister MB Patil on Tuesday chaired a roundtable with leading pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies to strengthen Karnataka’s position as a major hub for global pharma manufacturing, exports, and innovation. The session focused on shaping the future of India’s pharmaceutical industry and accelerating Karnataka’s emergence as a preferred destination for manufacturing and investment.

The state hosts 60% of the country’s biotech companies and contributes 33% of the country’s biotech exports. Karnataka has attracted 80% of India’s greenfield FDI in biotech in recent years and supports over 1,000 biotech startups.