Price is broken.
The best AI costs $100–$200 a month, more than most workers in emerging markets earn. Frontier intelligence was promised to everyone. It is rented to the few.
Planto × HP · University Centre of Excellence
Build an AI Centre of Excellence on your campus
A practical, step-by-step roadmap for universities and colleges to bring AI into teaching, learning, research and infrastructure, from first year to final year.
- Led by IIT and IIM graduates
In collaboration with HP
01Advanced Coding Lab100 seats
02Advanced AI and Compute Lab50 seats
03Z-Workstation10 seats + Z-Station
Where ideas meet intelligence
- 3labs, first year to research
- 160seats across the three labs
- ₹0per-query AI fees on the device
The AI shift
The AI shift: why universities need a Centre of Excellence now
India's growth model, built on engineering talent, is at an inflection point.
Agrarian 
Service 
AI Agents
India moved from an agrarian economy to a predominantly service-driven one.
That shift was powered by engineering talent, human capital and service industries.
Today, AI agents are increasingly taking over service-based tasks, putting that growth model at an inflection point.
Every graduate must learn to build with AI, not just work around it.
The problem with today's era of AI
Three barriers stand between students and hands-on AI
So what stands between students and hands-on AI? Three barriers.
Your data leaves the device.
Every query, document and idea routes through servers you do not own or control. There is no opt-out, and no way to know what happens to it next.
AI cannot be governed from the cloud.
No audit trail. No access control at the AI-action level. No way to know what your AI did, or to whom it spoke. Ungovernable by design.
Institutions feel all three at once: cost, privacy and control.
The best AI still costs more than people earn
India, minimum-wage level
42%
India, average monthly wage
35%
35%of the average Indian monthly wage would go to a single $100/month top-tier AI plan.
42%at India's minimum-wage level.
Sources: ILO Global Wage Report 2024–25; PLFS 2025 (India); PSA Occupational Wages 2024 (Philippines); vendor pricing, June 2026.
Why now
AI Centres of Excellence are already here
India's higher-education ecosystem is already adopting Centres of Excellence.
Universities and IITs/NITs are setting up specialised CoEs in AI, Data Science, Robotics and more.
CoEs are increasingly backed by dedicated labs, advanced computing infrastructure and industry-grade tools.
AI is now a national priority: the Government has established AI CoEs and announced a ₹500 crore AI CoE for Education at IIT Madras.
Sources:IIT Madras(opens in a new tab)Union Budget 2025–26(opens in a new tab)
The next question: can we bring the same AI-first ecosystem to every university and college?
Why now
What is a Centre of Excellence?
The answer: a dedicated AI innovation and learning lab.
In a university, a Centre of Excellence (also spelt center of excellence, or CoE) is a dedicated facility that brings expertise, equipment and mentoring together around one field.
A Centre of Excellence (CoE) is a dedicated AI innovation and learning lab where students, faculty and institutions can learn, experiment, build and implement AI solutions in a real-world environment.
It brings together AI-ready infrastructure, tools, technology, mentorship and hands-on learning to help institutions move from learning about AI to actually building with AI.
Think of it as
- Learn
- Experiment
- Build
- Implement
- Innovate
Why now
From computer lab to Centre of Excellence
The CoE is the evolution of the traditional computer lab.
Traditional computer lab
- A room of computers
- Basic computer learning
- Tools and lessons set up separately
- Limited time to practise
AI-enabled Centre of Excellence
- A planned learning environment
- Coding, AI and AI-assisted coding
- Hardware, software and content planned together
- A path to advanced projects
From:
Room of PCsTo: Learning environment
From:
Occasional demosTo: Regular hands-on practice
From:
Paid AI accessTo: Governed, on-device AI
Now that AI and education have advanced, universities need CoEs and AI-enabled computer labs.
Why Planto
Recognised for the work
Recognised by leading platforms and national programmes.
Led by IIT and IIM graduates
Sumit Bhat
Founder & CEO, Planto.ai
Founder, Reducate.ai
IIT BHU
Vikas Shukla
Founder & CTO, Planto.ai
Founder, Reducate.ai
IIT BHU
Recognised by
- Department of Commerce, Government of India
The solution
Introducing PlantoOS for Education
India's first AI-native operating system
In collaboration with HP.
- Vani
- Planto Studio
- Agentic Terminal
- Medhara
Three problems. Three answers.
PlantoOS was built to answer each of the barriers we just saw.
- 1
Price is broken
Zero per-query cost
AI runs on the device, so there are no API bills and no per-student subscription. Every student can use it.
- 2
Your data leaves the device
Private and offline
Localised small models run on-device in a private workspace for every learner. On a Z-Station, data never leaves the campus LAN.
- 3
AI cannot be governed from the cloud
Governed on the device
Medhara applies deny-by-default rules, logs every AI action and provides an exam-safe mode for assessments.
Planto × HP
HP builds the device. PlantoOS makes it intelligent.
Planto × HP: two partners, one connected AI lab for universities.
The hardware
- Premium, reliable device ecosystem
- Z by HP workstations for advanced compute
- Commercial and education channel strength
- Enterprise-grade support and warranty
The AI software
Planto.ai- PlantoOS: the AI-native operating layer
- Vani, Planto Studio, Agentic Terminal, Medhara
- Multiple localised SLMs running on-device
- A private, governed workspace for every learner
The learning content
- Coding courses and specialist tracks
- Practice activities and assessments
- Coursework-ready content for universities
- Career-skills practice alongside studies
The device, the tools and the learning content work together from the first lesson to the final project.
Launching three Centres of Excellence
Three Centres of Excellence. One student journey.
One lab for each stage of the student journey: first year, second and third year, and final year.
01
Advanced Coding Lab
100AI-native seats
02
Advanced AI and Compute Lab
50higher-performance seats
03
Z-Workstation
10workstation seats
Z-Station shared compute node
Centre of Excellence 01
Advanced Coding Lab
First yearFoundation
A hundred AI-native machines, ready from first boot: a lab that teaches, governs and runs offline on every seat.
- AI-native seats
- 100
- device class
- ₹40–50K
- ready to teach
- Day 1
Configuration
- Seats:100 AI-ready seats for every student and every stream
- Hardware:PlantoBook AI Starter on HP entry-level devices (₹40–50K class)
- Software:Ubuntu + Planto Coding Copilot now; free upgrade to PlantoOS later
- Add-ons:Free upgrade to PlantoOS
- Room:Lab designed to your space; infrastructure is additional
Use cases in the lab
Digital literacy
Computer fundamentals and everyday productivity skills for every stream.
First code
Programming basics in Python, with Coding Copilot help when stuck.
Data structures basics
Practise Python and data structures on the device.
Doubts in your language
Ask doubts aloud in 22 languages with Vani, fully offline.
On-device AI
AI runs on the device, so it works offline and student data stays private.
Exam-safe assessments
Medhara mode keeps assessment integrity built into the system.
Suited for
First year:All streams: B.Tech, BCA, B.Sc, BBA
Foundation courses:Digital literacy and programming basics
Centre of Excellence 02
Advanced AI and Compute Lab
Years 2–3Specialisation
Where students stop learning syntax and start shipping real projects.
- higher-performance seats
- 50
- device class
- ₹60–70K
- specialisation tracks
- 4
Configuration
- Seats:50 higher-performance seats for core years and electives
- Hardware:PlantoBook AI Campus on HP mid-range devices (₹60–70K class)
- Software:Ubuntu + Coding Copilot now; free upgrade to PlantoOS with Planto Studio
- Add-ons:Specialist tracks and Virtual Labs, offered separately
- Room:Lab designed to your space; infrastructure is additional
Use cases in the lab
Agentic IDE projects
Planto Studio plans, edits and explains every change while students build.
Specialisation tracks
Data Science, Cyber Security, Cloud & DevOps and App Development.
Local SLM projects
Real AI projects with no API keys and no per-token bills.
Placement preparation
AI interview simulation and resume review, private on the machine.
Faculty dashboards
Device, curriculum and assessment data in one view for coaching.
Verified certification
Blockchain-protected certificates that employers can check in seconds.
Suited for
Second year:Core B.Tech / BCA / MCA coursework and labs
Third year:Electives, specialisation tracks and mini projects
Centre of Excellence 03
Z-Workstation
Year 4 + facultyResearch
A shared on-campus AI compute node for thesis, research and sponsored work, with data that never leaves campus.
- workstation seats
- 10
- shared compute node
- Z-Station
- offline data control
- 100%
Configuration
- Seats:10 workstation seats plus a shared Z-Station node
- Hardware:PlantoBook AI Pro and Z by HP workstations (₹1.2L+ class)
- Z-Station:A server-rack node inside the campus; quoted separately
- Software:Ubuntu + Coding Copilot now; free upgrade to PlantoOS later
- Room:Lab designed to your space; infrastructure is additional
Use cases in the lab
Local LLM fine-tuning
Train, fine-tune and run models on campus with private data.
Thesis and PG research
Private-data research that never touches a public API.
Sponsored and funded work
Air-gapped deployment for sponsored and confidential projects.
Multi-seat Z-Station
Shares compute across the campus LAN with many concurrent seats.
Robotics and simulation
Simulations and robotics projects that ordinary PCs cannot run.
Rankings and funding
A citable research facility for NAAC, NIRF and funding submissions.
Suited for
Fourth year:Capstones, thesis and advanced AI projects
Faculty and PG:Research groups and sponsored projects
One student journey. Three levels of machine.
From first year to final year and beyond: one ecosystem, from learning to research.
- 1First yearAdvanced Coding Lab100 seats
Fundamentals, digital literacy, first code and first virtual labs, with voice AI in the student's own language.
- 2Years 2–3Advanced AI and Compute Lab50 seats
Core and elective years: agentic IDE, specialisation tracks, real projects on local models and placement tooling switched on.
- 3Year 4 + facultyZ-Workstation10 seats + Z-Station
Thesis, PG research and sponsored work. Local model fine-tuning on campus, with data that never leaves it.
What students get
What students get with PlantoOS
Five connected tools support students as they learn, practise and build.
Voice assistant
Vani
Ask questions aloud in 22 languages and get help with a lesson or with using the computer.
AI coding assistant
Coding Copilot
Helps students write and fix code, and explains each suggestion so they learn.
Learn more about Coding CopilotPrivate and offline
On-device AI
AI models run on the device, so it works offline and your data stays private.
Your learning hub
Personal Workspace
Files, projects and learning progress kept together in one private place.
Safety controls
Medhara
Applies rules to AI actions and records what the system does.
Learn more about Medhara
A student's journey
A student's journey: from lesson to project
How one student builds an AI project from start to finish.
Learn
Follow a lesson on building a model that recognises objects in images.
Try it on-device
Run small examples locally to see how the concept works.
Build with Coding Copilot
Write and test the code, with AI suggestions that explain changes.
Ask for help
When stuck, ask a question aloud and get an explanation.
Use a Z workstation
If the model needs more power, run it on the university's shared Z workstation.
Benefits
Benefits of a Centre of Excellence
One coordinated lab supports learning, teaching and practical project work.
For students
More opportunities to practise
- Practise beyond class hours
- Get help while coding
- Build real projects
For faculty
More support for teaching
- Teach with prepared exercises
- Review student progress
- Receive training on the tools
For the institution
A clearer path from setup to delivery
- Set up consistent labs
- Offer practical AI learning
- Support courses and research
Learning beyond lab hours
Students can return to installed lessons whenever they have a configured device.
No per-query cloud fees
AI requests handled by models on the device carry no per-query cloud API fee.
One connected environment
Hardware, software and content are planned together for simpler delivery and support.
The outcome
A structured technology ecosystem, not just a room full of computers.
- Learn
- Experiment
- Code
- Build
- Use AI
- Develop projects
- Industry-ready learning
- Teacher readiness
- One practical lab pilot
Governance
Run the lab responsibly
AI cannot be governed from the cloud, so governance runs on the device itself.
Medhara safety controls
- Deny-by-default rules on every AI action
- Every action recorded and traceable
- Exam-safe mode for assessments
MedharaAssessment integrity is built into the system rather than left to an honour code.
What the university and the team should agree
Access
Who can use the devices, and when.
Suitability
Which tools are right for each year and course.
Management
Who handles accounts, updates and technical issues.
Supervision
How faculty oversee AI use and student work.
Review
How usage and feedback will be reviewed over time.
Your AI lab
Your AI lab. No OS royalty.
Start with a working lab, then upgrade at no additional cost.
Phase 1 Deploy the lab
HP Hardware
Ubuntu Linux (open-source)
Planto Coding Copilot
Phase 2 Upgrade the experience
Free upgrade to the Planto operating system
Included in the model, with university-specific branding added afterwards.
- No lifetime Ubuntu licence cost
- Planto OS upgrade at no additional cost
- Hardware
- Open-source OS
- AI Copilot
- AI-native OS
Getting started
Five steps to an AI-enabled campus
A practical roadmap across curriculum, faculty, infrastructure, student outcomes and governance.
Curriculum
Map the curriculum
Decide which lab serves first year, second and third year, and final year.
Faculty
Enable faculty
Identify who will teach, and the training and dashboards they need.
Infrastructure
Set up the lab
Measure the space, design the lab, select HP devices and configure the software.
Student outcomes
Start building
Run practical sessions, projects and assessments from the first semester.
Governance
Govern and expand
Agree access rules, review results, then add the next lab or a Z-Station.
Implementation model
How to set up a Centre of Excellence in six steps
From an empty space to a working Centre of Excellence, in six steps.
Space assessment
Take the dimensions of your available space
Lab design
Design to your space, with an earlier university lab as reference
HP hardware
Select the right configuration
Phase 1 deployment
Ubuntu + Planto Coding Copilot
Planto upgrade
Free move to PlantoOS
Institutional CoE
A branded, working centre
Start with one pilot lab
Plan
Departments, batch size, goals and space
Configure
Devices and initial software
Train
Faculty who run the first sessions
Use
Run the lab with an agreed batch
Review
Participation, work and feedback
FAQ
Centre of Excellence: frequently asked questions
What is a Centre of Excellence in a university?
A Centre of Excellence (CoE) is a dedicated AI innovation and learning lab where students, faculty and institutions can learn, experiment, build and implement AI solutions in a real-world environment. It brings together AI-ready infrastructure, tools, technology, mentorship and hands-on learning, so a campus moves from learning about AI to actually building with AI.
Is it “centre of excellence” or “center of excellence”?
Both mean the same thing. "Centre" is the spelling used in India and the UK, and "center" is the American spelling. Either way it is often shortened to CoE.
How is an AI Centre of Excellence different from a computer lab?
A traditional computer lab is a room of computers for basic computer learning, with tools and lessons set up separately and limited time to practise. An AI-enabled Centre of Excellence is a planned learning environment for coding, AI and AI-assisted coding, where hardware, software and content are planned together, with a path to advanced projects.
What are the three Centres of Excellence?
One lab for each stage of the student journey: the Advanced Coding Lab for first year (100 AI-native seats), the Advanced AI and Compute Lab for second and third year (50 higher-performance seats and four specialisation tracks), and the Z-Workstation for fourth year and faculty (10 workstation seats plus a shared Z-Station node).
How much does it cost to set up an AI Centre of Excellence?
The Advanced Coding Lab uses HP entry-level devices in the ₹40–50K class, the Advanced AI and Compute Lab uses HP mid-range devices in the ₹60–70K class, and the Z-Workstation uses PlantoBook AI Pro and Z by HP workstations in the ₹1.2L+ class, with the Z-Station quoted separately. Room infrastructure is additional. After you share your requirements, you receive a proposal with the lab design, device configuration and an itemised quote.
Does the AI work without the internet?
Yes. AI models run on the device, so the lab works offline and there are no API bills or per-student subscriptions. Vani answers questions aloud in 22 languages, fully offline. On a Z-Station, data never leaves the campus LAN.
Is student data private?
Localised small models run on-device in a private workspace for every learner, so student data stays private. Research on the Z-Workstation uses private data that never touches a public API.
Which courses and streams is it for?
First year across all streams (B.Tech, BCA, B.Sc, BBA) in the Advanced Coding Lab; core B.Tech, BCA and MCA coursework, electives, specialisation tracks and mini projects in the Advanced AI and Compute Lab; and capstones, thesis, PG research and sponsored projects on the Z-Workstation.
How is AI use governed, including during exams?
Medhara applies deny-by-default rules on every AI action, records every action so it is traceable, and provides an exam-safe mode for assessments, so assessment integrity is built into the system rather than left to an honour code.
Do faculty get training?
Yes. Faculty receive training on the tools, teach with prepared exercises and review student progress, and the pilot lab includes training the faculty who run the first sessions.
Can a Centre of Excellence support NAAC, NIRF and funding submissions?
The Z-Workstation gives the university a citable research facility for NAAC, NIRF and funding submissions.
Can we start with one lab?
Yes. Start with one pilot lab: plan the departments, batch size, goals and space; configure the devices and initial software; train the faculty who run the first sessions; run the lab with an agreed batch; then review participation, work and feedback.
What is PlantoOS, and is the upgrade really free?
PlantoOS is India's first AI-native operating system, and PlantoOS for Education comes in collaboration with HP. Phase 1 deploys the lab with HP hardware, Ubuntu Linux and Planto Coding Copilot. Phase 2 is a free upgrade to the Planto operating system, included in the model, with university-specific branding added afterwards.
Next steps
Schedule a discussion to design your university's AI Centre of Excellence
Let's plan the first stage of AI learning for your university.
Share your requirements
Departments, batch sizes, available space and current labs.
See the proposed setup
Review the three CoEs and a live demonstration of PlantoOS.
Receive your proposal
Get the lab design, device configuration and an itemised quote.