NetApp and Agastya Launch Data Explorers Lab to Advance AI & Data Literacy in Andhra Pradesh

NetApp, the Intelligent Data Infrastructure company, in partnership with Agastya International Foundation, inaugurated the NetApp Data Explorers Lab at Agastya’s Campus in Kuppam, Andhra Pradesh last week. The new facility marks a major milestone in NetApp’s commitment to advancing data and AI education by equipping students with essential skills in data literacy, inquiry, and problem-solving.

The inauguration ceremony was attended by distinguished leaders including Mr. Himanshu Gupta IAS, Secretary, CBSE; Dr. A.S. Kiran Kumar, Former Chairman, ISRO; Mr. Ramji Raghavan, Founder, K Thiagarajan, Executive Vice Chairman; and Hariharan Ganesan, Executive Director - Partner Relations, Agastya International Foundation.

Agastya Foundation

Representing NetApp were Vasanthi Ramesh, VP - Engineering and India Site Lead, accompanied by Anirudh Atyanand (Senior Legal Counsel, India & South Asia & CSR Committee Member), and the members of the NetApp Social Impact team.

The NetApp Data Explorers Lab is a purpose-built, experiential learning space designed to equip students with hands-on data literacy and real-world problem-solving skills. The lab comprises two fully equipped classrooms, each with 15 high-end computers, and delivers a data science curriculum developed in collaboration with TERC and The Tech Interactive. The learning experience is further enhanced through the use of CODAP (Common Online Data Analysis Platform), an educational tool developed by Concord Consortium that enables students to explore, analyse, and derive insights from data through inquiry-led learning.

This lab will enable a structured data literacy learning to more than 1,200 government school students in 2025–26 with a combined learning of more than 30,000 hours. Using project-based learning methods, students collect, organize, visualize, and analyse datasets connected to community themes such as agriculture, water quality, and waste management aligning with United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

The future of problem solving depends on how we harness the power of data with creativity and responsibility. That's why data is at the core of this program, bridging knowledge to insights to emotions. Through Agastya’s DataVerse mega showcase, students discuss their projects focusing on data analysis and its real-world applications, adding meaning and purpose to data. Each project weaves a narrative drawn from personal experiences, community concerns, and unique perspectives, showing how data can inspire change and create solutions that matter.

Vasanthi Ramesh, VP - Engineering and India Site Lead, NetApp, said, “Data literacy is foundational for both citizenship and careers. Today’s inauguration of the NetApp Data Explorers Lab reaffirms our belief that data, when placed in young hands, becomes a powerful tool for inquiry, innovation, and positive change. This mirrors NetApp’s wider view that intelligent data should serve people, making experiences richer, more connected, and ultimately more meaningful.”

Mr. Ramji Raghavan, Founder, Agastya International Foundation, added, “Our partnership with NetApp brings together creativity, technology, and mentorship. The Data Explorers Lab will inspire thousands of children to think critically, explore responsibly, and use data to improve the world around them. We hope this partnership allows more ideas to spread, reaching learners and teachers beyond our boundary enabling them to engage more meaningfully.”

The NetApp–Agastya partnership combines NetApp’s expertise in data innovation with Agastya’s nationwide STEM ecosystem, strengthening a pipeline of data-literate youth and enabling the country’s future innovation workforce.

About NetApp

For more than three decades, NetApp has helped the world’s leading organizations navigate change – from the rise of enterprise storage to the intelligent era defined by data and AI. Today, NetApp is the Intelligent Data Infrastructure company, helping customers turn data into a catalyst for innovation, resilience, and growth.

At the heart of that infrastructure is the NetApp data platform – the unified, enterprise-grade, intelligent foundation that connects, protects, and activates data across every cloud, workload, and environment. Built on the proven power of NetApp ONTAP, our leading data management software and OS, and enhanced by automation through the AI Data Engine and AFX, it delivers observability, resilience, and intelligence at scale.

Disaggregated by design, the NetApp data platform separates storage, services, and control so enterprises can modernize faster, scale efficiently, and innovate without lock-in. As the only enterprise storage platform natively embedded in the world’s largest clouds, it gives organizations the freedom to run any workload anywhere with consistent performance, governance, and protection.

With NetApp, data is always ready – ready to defend against threats, ready to power AI, and ready to drive the next breakthrough. That’s why the world’s most forward-thinking enterprises trust NetApp to turn intelligence into advantage.

NETAPP, the NETAPP logo, and the marks listed at www.netapp.com/TM are trademarks of NetApp, Inc. Other company and product names may be trademarks of their respective owners.

About Agastya Foundation

Founded in 1999, Agastya International Foundation is one of India’s leading educational non-profits, committed to transforming learning for children from underserved communities. Its mission is to nurture curiosity, creativity, and confidence, under the umbrella of care, through hands-on, experiential learning in STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics) and 21st-century skills, including design thinking and problem-solving.

Through a diverse portfolio of innovative programs—including mobile science labs, science centres, Lab-on-a-Bike, innovation hubs, digital literacy centres, Digi-Kshetra, and capacity-building initiatives for teachers and ignators—Agastya has reached over 35 million students and 3,50,000 school teachers across India. Agastya’s inquiry-based learning model encourages learners to actively explore concepts and connect classroom learning with real-world applications.

Working in close partnership with governments, corporates, and communities, Agastya continues to enable systemic change in education, equipping learners and educators with the mindset and skills required for a rapidly evolving world.