/AI hype/
Given the AI hype, trends across social media, and widespread news coverage, almost everyone today has heard the term AI or used its most visible application, ChatGPT.
However, when it comes to what lies under the hood, there's more to it than meets the eye. With all the corporate jargon, marketing clichés, and technical terms, it can be overwhelming — even for those with a technical background — to make sense of the underlying technology.
The Takshashila Institution, a Bangalore-based policy think tank, has published an AI Primer for policymakers. Founded in 2009, it is an independent, non-partisan think tank in India. Its funding comes from individual donors, including Rohini Nilekani as the establishment donor, and from organisations such as the Shroff Family Charitable Trust, the Jamnalal Bajaj Foundation, Rohini & Nandan Nilekani Philanthropies, and the Infosys Foundation.
/AI Primer/
AI requires specialized hardware to perform efficiently. At the heart of processing are chips fabricated in hardware foundries such as TSMC. These chips, made from silicon wafers, are known as ASICs (Application-Specific Integrated Circuits).
While the resource is intended for policymakers, it offers a clear overview of the key terms involved, helping almost anyone — especially those with an engineering background — get oriented.
It explains what AI is, outlines the training process and its inefficiencies, highlights the role of data, and discusses hardware components in detail. The primer covers terms such as GPU, CUDA, TPU, memory, networking, modes, and more. It also introduces the software ecosystem, including frameworks, programming languages, and algorithms.
Link to AI Primer .