Bhutan’s first AI startup, NoMindBhutan, is run by seven college students and has secured prominent clients, but faces challenges scaling due to the country’s limited infrastructure.
Key players: College students taking on the AI industry; NoMindBhutan was founded by Ugyen Dendup and Jamphel Yigzin Samdrup, two sophomores at Gyalpozhing College of Information Technology, which recently revamped its curriculum to focus on AI and data science:
- The seven-member team, all college students, operates out of their dorm room and rented spaces during college vacations, putting in long hours to balance their startup work with classes and assignments.
- The college has played a crucial role in NoMindBhutan’s success by providing guidance, mentorship, and industry connections through its faculty, which includes experts from Singapore.
Impressive client roster despite early stage; Despite being a nascent startup, NoMindBhutan has already secured contracts with eight high-profile clients, including major banks, the national airline, and government entities:
- Landing Bhutan National Bank as their first client significantly boosted NoMindBhutan’s credibility and led to more business opportunities.
- NoMindBhutan’s chatbot services start at 8,000 ngultrum ($96) per month, and they currently have 150,000 ngultrum ($1,799) in the bank, with more revenue pending from clients.
Infrastructure limitations hindering growth; While NoMindBhutan has proven its ability to innovate and attract clients, Bhutan’s closed digital ecosystem and lack of robust infrastructure pose significant challenges for the startup’s ability to scale and introduce its products to a wider audience:
- Bhutan has only one small government-run data center, and the country lacks access to major international payment platforms and cloud servers, making it difficult for NoMindBhutan to host and manage its AI models cost-effectively.
- Experts caution that Bhutan should focus on investing in cloud computing infrastructure and enhancing AI literacy for existing businesses, rather than solely emphasizing student-led AI innovation.
Looking ahead: Expansion plans and ecosystem evolution; NoMindBhutan remains committed to advancing AI in Bhutan and has launched new products like an AI tutor and an enhanced chatbot, but the broader ecosystem needs to evolve for the country to truly benefit from AI:
- The startup is developing a new chatbot version that will give clients more control over training and management.
- For Bhutanese AI startups to succeed globally, they need to offer distinctive value propositions and overcome the country’s infrastructure limitations.
- As more student-led AI startups emerge from Gyalpozhing College, Bhutan will need to balance supporting their innovation with investing in the necessary infrastructure and digital ecosystem to enable their growth.
Analyzing deeper: NoMindBhutan’s story highlights both the potential for AI innovation in Bhutan and the significant challenges that startups face in a country with limited digital infrastructure and global integration. While the founders’ determination and their college’s support have enabled them to secure impressive clients early on, scaling their products to a wider audience remains an uphill battle. As Bhutan looks to foster a thriving AI industry, it will need to invest not only in educational initiatives like those at Gyalpozhing College but also in building out the necessary physical and digital infrastructure to support these startups’ growth. Additionally, finding the right balance between nurturing student-led innovation and supporting the adoption of AI among existing businesses will be crucial for Bhutan to truly harness the potential of this transformative technology.
Recent Stories
DOE fusion roadmap targets 2030s commercial deployment as AI drives $9B investment
The Department of Energy has released a new roadmap targeting commercial-scale fusion power deployment by the mid-2030s, though the plan lacks specific funding commitments and relies on scientific breakthroughs that have eluded researchers for decades. The strategy emphasizes public-private partnerships and positions AI as both a research tool and motivation for developing fusion energy to meet data centers' growing electricity demands. The big picture: The DOE's roadmap aims to "deliver the public infrastructure that supports the fusion private sector scale up in the 2030s," but acknowledges it cannot commit to specific funding levels and remains subject to Congressional appropriations. Why...
Oct 17, 2025Tying it all together: Credo’s purple cables power the $4B AI data center boom
Credo, a Silicon Valley semiconductor company specializing in data center cables and chips, has seen its stock price more than double this year to $143.61, following a 245% surge in 2024. The company's signature purple cables, which cost between $300-$500 each, have become essential infrastructure for AI data centers, positioning Credo to capitalize on the trillion-dollar AI infrastructure expansion as hyperscalers like Amazon, Microsoft, and Elon Musk's xAI rapidly build out massive computing facilities. What you should know: Credo's active electrical cables (AECs) are becoming indispensable for connecting the massive GPU clusters required for AI training and inference. The company...
Oct 17, 2025Vatican launches Latin American AI network for human development
The Vatican hosted a two-day conference bringing together 50 global experts to explore how artificial intelligence can advance peace, social justice, and human development. The event launched the Latin American AI Network for Integral Human Development and established principles for ethical AI governance that prioritize human dignity over technological advancement. What you should know: The Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences, the Vatican's research body for social issues, organized the "Digital Rerum Novarum" conference on October 16-17, combining academic research with practical AI applications. Participants included leading experts from MIT, Microsoft, Columbia University, the UN, and major European institutions. The conference...