Lucknow, Feb. 21 -- Chief minister Yogi Adityanath on Friday said his government is positioning Uttar Pradesh as a leading data centre hub in the country and has unveiled a series of budgetary measures to accelerate growth in emerging technologies such as data centres, robotics and artificial intelligence (AI). The state budget includes significant announcements regarding the establishment of data centres and the formation of a state data centre authority, he further said. The formation of data centre clusters and the state data centre authority will elevate Uttar Pradesh to new heights in digital governance and an AI-driven economy, he said. Addressing the House, Adityanath said the government has set a target of achieving 5 gigawatt data centre capacity in the state by 2030. The chief minister was replying to the discussion on the state budget 2026-27 in the assembly. The chief minister also announced a provision of Rs.100 crore in the budget for the formation of a state data authority to strengthen data governance and infrastructure in the state. Calling AI a "game changer," Adityanath said that the state government will provide free access to AI tools to 25 lakh youths in Uttar Pradesh as part of a major new programme. "In the current global scenario, data has become the foundation of the new economy, and artificial intelligence is set to play the role of 'new oil' in the future," he remarked. "There was a time when the concept of an 'oil economy' dominated the world. The countries with oil resources wielded influence over the global economy. Later, emerging technologies gained importance, and nations that established dominance in these technologies strengthened their global standing. Today, the world acknowledges that AI is poised to become the most powerful force of the future, and its foremost requirement is robust data infrastructure," he said. With this vision, the state government has advanced its programme to establish data centres and develop data centre clusters, he said. Before 2017, there were no data centres in Uttar Pradesh, Adityanath said, adding that his government has taken concrete steps in this direction. Several data centres have already been established in the state, and many more are proposed. The government aims to develop these data centres in cluster form to make them more effective, he said Data will play a significant role in realising the spirit of "Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, he said. Earlier, the state lacked a startup culture, but today more than 20,000 registered startups are active in Uttar Pradesh. During the SP government, startup culture was limited to illegal activities, whereas today the ecosystem promotes innovation and entrepreneurship. Nearly half of the registered startups are led by women, reflecting growing women empowerment and entrepreneurial encouragement in the state. Uttar Pradesh has achieved recognition as a top performer state in the national startup ranking, he said. To create new opportunities for tech-oriented youth, government has planned to provide AR (Augmented Reality), VR (Virtual Reality) and XR (Extended Reality)-based skill training to 25 lakh youth, with special budgetary allocations made for this purpose, he said. The government has allocated Rs.100 crore for VR-based skill development programmes, he said....