EPIC Foundation, a not-for-profit organisation led by HCL Co-Founders Dr Ajai Chowdhry and Arjun Malhotra, on Tuesday, February 13, launched the first ‘Designed in India’ tablet aimed at the education sector. Dubbed ‘Milkyway,’ the AI-enabled tablet is a collaborative effort between VVDN Technologies, MediaTek India, and CoRover.ai.
“The idea behind the tablet is to make something that is repairable and upgradable. When we did our research we found that after one to two years, (users) were having trouble maintaining the product, and therefore the life of the product was literally becoming two years. And that sort of increases the cost,” Dr Chowdhry told CNBC-TV18.
He also highlighted the tablet's focus on atmanirbharta (self-reliance) in Indian electronics, aiming to create products with easily replaceable and upgradable components. The tablet, integrated with the BharatGPT virtual assistant, aims to enable digital learning and support linguistic diversity in India.
The Milkyway tablet is powered by a MediaTek 8766A processor, up to 4GB RAM, and 64GB of expandable internal storage. It runs on Google's Android 13.
The tablet includes an 8-inch IPS display (which is also replaceable) with a resolution of 800x1280 and a 3MP front and 8MP rear camera.
The Milkyway has a 5100 mAh battery. The battery can be replaced as well. The tablet supports 4G LTE and Bluetooth 5.0 devices.
Expressing his pride in the initiative, S. Krishnan, Secretary, MeitY, emphasised the significance of designing hardware products in India, echoing the vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's ‘Mission LiFE’ initiative. He lauded EPIC Foundation's efforts in driving India towards becoming a product nation and emphasised the need for increased value addition in the electronics sector.
The launch of Milkyway underscores two critical aspects — the promotion of Indian electronics products and brands, and the removal of financial barriers hindering access to high-impact devices in schools. Rohit Kumar Singh, Secretary of the Department of Consumer Affairs, praised the tablet's sustainability features, aligning with the ethos of eco-conscious choices.
An MoU for the production of 12,000 tablets was signed between IRIS Global and Vedavaag Systems. Dr P. Raja Mohan Rao, Chairman of UTL, Bengaluru, announced plans to manufacture up to 2-3 lakh pieces per year under licence from EPIC and VVDN, signalling significant strides towards mass adoption.
Sanjiv Krishen, Chairman of IRIS, who will be responsible for the distribution of the tablets to educational institutions and direct sales channels, estimates that the first production units should come out within the next two months. “By the next term, students should have the tablets,” he said. The price, he said, should be around ₹8,400 for the tablet.
Ankush Sabharwal, Co-Founder of CoRover.ai and BharatGPT, hailed the tablet's integration of cutting-edge AI technologies, emphasising its transformative potential in the education sector. Anku Jain, Managing Director of MediaTek India, highlighted the collaboration's commitment to the government's Make in India initiative, showcasing Milkyway's advanced features powered by MediaTek chipsets.
