IBM and Modi Govt Exploring Collaboration in Geospatial AI and Quantum Computing

IBM and the Indian government are exploring collaborations in quantum computing, artificial intelligence (AI), and geospatial AI solutions. This initiative aligns with India's National Quantum Mission, which aims to position the country as a global leader in quantum technology.

IBM's Global Head, Arvind Krishna, recently met with Union Minister Dr. Jitendra Singh to discuss potential partnerships. The discussions highlighted India's rapid technological transformation under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, emphasizing the importance of private sector involvement in driving innovation.

The collaboration could have significant implications for industries such as defense, intelligence, and economic security, as quantum technology is seen as a key factor in determining future global power.

Quantum technology is seen as a key factor in reshaping defense, intelligence, and economic security. A recent NITI Aayog report emphasized the transformative impact of quantum technology on defense and intelligence.

The collaboration aligns with India's goal of achieving self-reliance in critical technologies and becoming a global leader in emerging tech sectors.

During the meeting, Dr Singh mentioned the Anusandhan National Research Foundation (ANRF), which aims to build a robust research ecosystem in India. ANRF provides strategic funding for advanced research.

Besides IBM, Google has been working with the Indian government on various initiatives, including digital literacy programs and AI-driven solutions for agriculture and healthcare. Microsoft has partnered with the Indian government to enhance digital transformation in public services and promote AI adoption in sectors like education and healthcare.

AWS has collaborated with the government to provide cloud computing solutions for startups and small businesses, supporting India's digital economy. TCS has been involved in developing AI and blockchain solutions for government projects, including smart city initiatives.

National Quantum Mission (NQM), which was launched in April 2023, has received budget of ₹6,003.65 crore and aims to position India as a global leader in quantum technology by 2031.

Quantum technologies are expected to revolutionize sectors like communication, cryptography, healthcare, and climate monitoring. The mission aligns with national priorities like Digital India, Make in India, and Sustainable Development Goals.

India's proactive investments and strategic initiatives are setting the stage for long-term growth in quantum computing.

HCLTech Joins Samsung Advanced Foundry Ecosystem as a Design Solution Partner

HCLTech, a leading global technology company, has been selected as a Design Solution Partner (DSP) under the Samsung Advanced Foundry Ecosystem (SAFE™) program. This strategic partnership between HCLTech and Samsung is set to accelerate semiconductor innovation and development, leveraging HCLTech's extensive expertise in Engineering and R&D services.

Through the SAFE™-DSP program, HCLTech will offer comprehensive application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) design services to semiconductor customers who wish to use Samsung's state-of-the-art process technologies.

As part of the partnership, Samsung will train HCLTech employees in advanced technologies, offer technical support on turnkey projects and provide enhanced wafer access through Multi-Project Wafer (MPW) programs for efficient prototyping and production.

"HCLTech's presence in India, coupled with its global expertise and capabilities in SoC platforms and IP partnerships, plays a key role in advancing next-generation silicon solutions. The partnership between HCLTech and Samsung underscores our shared commitment to innovation and excellence, accelerating the time-to-market for new silicon technologies," said Taejoong Song, Vice President and the head of the Technology Planning 2 Team at Samsung Electronics.

"The semiconductor industry is experiencing significant growth, and our partnership with Samsung Foundry highlights our dedication to innovation and developing state-of-the-art custom silicon solutions. By leveraging the strengths of both HCLTech and Samsung Foundry, we aim to drive advancements in semiconductor technology and meet the changing demands of the global market," said Sanjay Gupta, Corporate Vice President of North Asia at HCLTech.

Deloitte India, Zoho Partner to Accelerate Digital Transformation for India's Mid-market and Enterprise Firms

Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu India LLP (Deloitte India) has announced a strategic alliance with Zoho, a leading global technology company. This alliance is anticipated to accelerate digital transformation for mid-market and enterprise firms in India.

Currently, enterprises face multiple challenges, from rigid, complex legacy systems to time-intensive digital adoption cycles that hinder innovation and growth. With Deloitte India’s deep industry expertise and Zoho’s cloud-based solutions, the alliance aims to dismantle these barriers by delivering tailored, high-impact solutions that streamline operations, drive productivity and unlock new avenues for growth.

The collaboration will focus on providing a range of specific business solutions for sectors such as healthcare, non-banking financial companies (NBFCs), eCommerce and more. This will be enabled by Zoho’s comprehensive suite of 55+ interconnected applications. These include flagship application suites such as Zoho’s finance and operations suite (accounting, travel and expense management, payroll management and inventory management solutions), CX suite (marketing, sales and customer service solutions), Zoho Analytics (business intelligence) and Zoho Creator (low-code platform for custom development and integration).

Vinay Prabhakar, Deloitte South Asia Sales and Alliance leader —

The power of collaboration lies in its ability to drive meaningful transformation. As businesses navigate an increasingly digital landscape, they require agile, scalable and future-ready solutions. Our alliance with Zoho represents a commitment to co-creating tailored solutions that help enterprises modernise operations and drive long-term success. By combining Deloitte’s strategic advisory expertise with Zoho’s cloud-based technologies, we look forward to helping businesses accelerate their digital transformation, enhance efficiency and build resilience for the future.

Bishan Singh, Head - Channel Ecosystem, Zoho, said —

Enterprises operate with unique, well-defined processes that are integral to their success. Streamlining such elaborate workflows requires solutions that are flexible and customisable. The platform capabilities of our cloud portfolio—powered by low-code, no-code and pro-code options—along with Deloitte India’s industry expertise, allows for quicker creation of bespoke solutions across sectors. This approach not only ensures operational efficiency but also empowers businesses to achieve speedy ROI and scale effectively. We look forward to this collaboration

Through industry-specific solution development, and joint go-to-market strategies, Deloitte India and Zoho will empower enterprises to embrace digital transformation with confidence—delivering measurable value while augmenting efficiency and long-term resilience in a rapidly evolving business environment.

Siemens Completes Acquisition of Altair Engineering Inc.

Siemens announced today that it has completed the acquisition of Altair Engineering Inc., a leading provider of software in the industrial simulation and analysis market, for an enterprise value of approximately USD 10 billion.

Siemens announced the Altair acquisition in November last year.

With this acquisition, Siemens extends its leadership in simulation and industrial artificial intelligence (AI) by adding new capabilities in mechanical and electromagnetic simulation, high-performance computing (HPC), data science and AI. The addition of the Altair team and technology to Siemens will further enhance the most comprehensive Digital Twin and make simulation more accessible, so companies of any size can bring complex products to market faster.

“We welcome the Altair community of customers, partners and colleagues to Siemens. Adding Altair’s groundbreaking innovations to the Siemens Xcelerator platform will create the world's most complete AI-powered design, engineering and simulation portfolio. Together, we will help our customers to innovate at the scale and speed that today's complexity-driven world demands,” said Roland Busch, President and CEO of Siemens AG. “Through the ONE Tech Company program, we will extend our leadership in industrial software. This enables all industries to benefit from the revolution driven by data and AI.”

Integrating Altair’s capabilities in the areas of simulation, HPC, data science, and AI enhances the ability of Siemens to drive more efficient and sustainable products and processes. Now, all Siemens customers, from engineers to generalists, will have access to new simulation expertise, can optimize their high-performance computing processes, create new AI tools and perform data analytics to help accelerate innovation and digital transformation for companies of all sizes.

The acquisition of Altair is part of Siemens’ ONE Tech Company program and will meaningfully increase Siemens’ digital revenue share. This growth program enables Siemens to further expand its strong market position and reach the next level of performance and value creation. Through acquisitions like this, as well as R&D investments into areas including software, AI-enabled products, connected hardware and sustainability, Siemens is clearly prioritizing capital allocation to strategic growth fields.

With the completion of the acquisition of Altair as well as the recent expansions of Siemens’ factories in California and Texas, Siemens has now invested over USD 100 billion into the United States in the past 20 years.

Kerala Startup HEX20's 'Nila' Satellite Takes Flight, Powered by SpaceX

The launch of the 'Nila' satellite is a groundbreaking achievement for HEX20, a Kerala-based space startup. Named after Kerala's longest river, 'Nila' was launched aboard SpaceX's Transporter-13 mission on March 15, 2025. This satellite is designed to control critical components like solar arrays and antennas in space missions.

HEX20, founded in 2020 and operating from Technopark since 2023, collaborated with the German firm Decubed for this mission. The satellite's payload included Release Actuators, showcasing HEX20's commitment to fostering global partnerships. The mission was supported by the Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre (IN-SPACe) and received assistance from ISRO for testing and tracking facilities.

This marks a significant step forward for India's private space sector, and HEX20 is already planning future missions, including a 50kg satellite launch with ISRO next year.

The 'Nila' satellite employs advanced technology to control critical components in space missions, such as solar arrays and antennas. It features Release Actuators, developed by the German firm Decubed, which were integrated into the satellite by HEX20. This innovative payload demonstrates HEX20's commitment to fostering global partnerships and advancing space technology.

The satellite's operations are managed from HEX20's ground station at Marian Engineering College in Thiruvananthapuram, where students and faculty are being trained to handle satellite tracking and mission management. This marks a significant step forward in India's private space sector.