Russian AI developers may soon receive significant state backing as the Ministry of Digital Development discusses an annual support package reaching 10 billion rubles. The funds are intended to accelerate neural network development, finance pilot projects, and cover expenses related to computing power.
According to Kommersant, the package splits into 8 billion rubles allocated for technology development and deployment and 2 billion rubles earmarked for compensating computational costs. One proposed instrument involves subsidized loans issued through authorized banks, allowing companies to finance infrastructure, dataset collection and labeling, as well as model fine-tuning.
A second mechanism envisions grants for pilot testing of previously unseen solutions. These grants could cover up to 80 percent of project costs and would target priority economic sectors, social services, and public administration. The RFIT fund is being considered as a potential operator for project selection.
Both the Ministry and the office of Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Grigorenko have confirmed that the initiative is under active discussion. However, specific parameters and implementation timelines have not yet been finalized, meaning companies cannot apply for funding at this stage.
Representatives of the market, including Sergey Golitsyn, head of AI projects at T1, believe the support could help smaller startups bring products to pilot stage. At the same time, participants stress the need for transparent selection criteria and clear reporting rules to avoid the emergence of intermediaries and to maintain competitive balance between independent teams and large corporations.
