Bengaluru, July 22 -- Back in 2020, as the covid-19 pandemic swept across the world and overwhelmed healthcare systems, Qure.ai, a medical diagnostic startup, was field-testing its most promising leap in medical artificial intelligence (AI): a software that could detect signs of tuberculosis and lung cancer from chest X-rays with high accuracy.

But there was a catch. Each scan, roughly 100 MB in size, had to be uploaded to the cloud, processed and the results sent back. This cycle was time consuming because of internet connectivity issues and power outages, common to rural areas. It resulted in a long line of patients waiting for results. The delayed scan reports made it harder to isolate a patient or start treatment in time.

This was a...