MOSCOW, October 22. /TASS/. Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev announced significant state allocations for the development of digital technologies.

"In total, 1.6 trillion rubles ($25.1 bln - TASS) are include in our budget for the development of digital technologies in the coming years," Medvedev said.

According to him, "digital transformation is rapidly shaping a new economy." "In the global development index, we have good developments in terms of innovative potential. In order to realize this potential, we have adopted a digital economy program," Medvedev said. He noted that this program "in the near future will be widened with another federal project called ‘Artificial Intelligence’".

The prime minister warned that "not all issues are resolved with money, although money is necessary and important." "We need to give answers to the current questions, to serious existing challenges," he said.

On October 11, Russian President Vladimir Putin approved the National Strategy for the Development of Artificial Intelligence for the period until 2030. The document was designed to ensure the accelerated development of AI, to conduct research in this area, increase availability of information and computing resources for users, as well improve training in this area.

The Russian government was instructed to ensure introduction of appropriate changes to the national project "Digital Economy" by December 15, 2019, including the development and approval of the federal project "Artificial Intelligence".

Vladimir Putin announced possible signing of a decree on the national strategy in AI at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum 2019. At the time he noted that, according to experts, in the coming decades additional global GDP growth due to the introduction of AI will be 1.2% annually. This is twice the impact that the global growth of information technology had on the economy in the beginning of the 21st century. He added that the global market for products using artificial intelligence will grow almost 17-fold by 2024 and will reach about $500 bln.

At the same time, Putin proposed to establish a partnership of large companies with the state in the development of science and technology areas. Such areas can include artificial intelligence, new materials, genome technologies for medicine, agriculture and industry, as well as portable sources of energy, techniques of its transmission and storage.

According to the roadmap developed by Sberbank, the Russian markets of AI and neurotechnology by 2024 may increase by 80-fold and reach 160.1 bln rubles ($2.5 bln) and 8.2 bln rubles ($127.5 mln).