Keonics to launch Rs 19,000 AI-Enabled KEO PC for Karnataka govt schools

Keonics will roll out Rs 19,000 KEO PCs in early Feb for Karnataka govt schools/hostels (2,000 units), with offline AI tools; scale-up planned statewide

Karnataka’s state-run electronics agency Keonics will begin rolling out ‘Keo PC’, an affordable personal computer with built-in AI features, in the first week of February, with 2,000 units earmarked for government schools and hostels. The device is priced at Rs 19,000 and is designed to work even in low-connectivity settings, with key applications built to run offline.

​According to officials, Keo PC includes an integrated AI chatbot called ‘Buddh’ and ‘Shikshanpedia’, a DSERT-approved digital learning platform. While the tools are meant for offline use, some functions are still being refined ahead of larger distribution, they said.

​The programme is being overseen by Keonics, whose chairman Sharath Bachegowda said the longer-term plan is to expand access across Karnataka’s education system. The intended scale-up, officials said, could eventually cover around 42,000 primary schools, 6,000 secondary institutions and nearly 2,000 government-run hostels, with an internal goal of reaching all institutions within about three years.

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​Keonics is positioning the product as an India-made, low-cost PC built around an open-source software stack, a choice that the government believes can reduce dependence on proprietary platforms and recurring licence fees. The state also views the initiative as a way to build a local ecosystem for AI-enabled computing and strengthen Karnataka’s wider open-source push in public institutions.

​For the first phase, Keo PCs are expected to be supplied to students of Classes 8 to 10 in higher secondary schools across the four revenue divisions of Belagavi, Kalaburagi, Bengaluru and Mysuru. Each unit will come with a wired keyboard, wired mouse and a locally manufactured display, as per the plan.

​To scale production while keeping the price low, the state has approached the Centre for financial support, and senior IT-BT officials and the Keonics managing director have met Union IT ministry officials in New Delhi. The state has also sought permission for Keonics to supply Keo PCs to other states, while Keonics is aiming to assemble at least 10,000 units annually at its Peenya warehouse using components from multiple partners.

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