AI Meets Governance: IBM Launches Lucknow Centre

IBM has officially announced the inauguration of its AI GovTech Innovation Centre in Lucknow on February 22, 2026. The initiative is designed to position AI as core infrastructure for modern governance, helping governments tackle rising citizen expectations, regulatory complexity, and exponential data growth.

Key Highlights

• Purpose: The centre will serve as a collaborative platform to design, validate, and scale trusted AI solutions for governance, focusing on productivity, transparency, and service delivery.
• Location: Situated at Platinum Mall in Sushant Golf City, Lucknow, the facility has a 500-seat capacity and marks IBM’s first software lab in Northern India.
• Focus Areas: Generative AI and Agentic AI technologies, with applications tailored for government and enterprise use cases.
• Leadership Presence: The inauguration was attended by Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, IBM CEO Arvind Krishna, and IBM India MD Sandip Patel.
• Strategic Vision: Yogi Adityanath emphasized that the centre will strengthen tech-driven governance and highlighted Uttar Pradesh’s ambitions in deep tech, robotics, drone technology, medical technology, and quantum computing.

Why It Matters

This centre positions Lucknow as a growing hub for GovTech innovation in India, aligning with the state’s roadmap to lead in AI and quantum computing. It also reflects IBM’s broader strategy to embed AI into public sector infrastructure, ensuring scalable and replicable solutions for governance worldwide.

“AI will define the next era of government effectiveness and economic competitiveness. Around the world, and especially in India, we are seeing governments move decisively from exploration to execution. It is encouraging to see this level of openness to responsible AI adoption,” said Arvind Krishna, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer, IBM. “The Lucknow center brings together IBM’s global AI leadership and a strong local talent ecosystem, with proximity to leading engineering and academic institutions. Together, this enables us to translate AI ambition into measurable public impact,” he added.

Redington India Inaugurates Graphics Experience Center in Mumbai

Redington Limited in collaboration with HP India, announces the inauguration of state-of-the-art Graphics Experience Center in Mumbai – a cutting-edge facility built to showcase the future of HP large-format printing. Designed to serve as a hub of collaboration and capability-building, the Graphics Experience Center reinforces Redington and HP’s long-term commitment to advancing print technology and supporting the Indian print and design community.

Through the Graphics Experience Centre, Redington will bring together the latest innovations in HP Latex print technology, enabling its customers to explore, test, and co-create print solutions for a wide range of applications — from outdoor signage, décor, traffic to retail signages. By offering immersive demos, training, and real-time experimentation, the Graphics Experience Center is poised to serve as a launchpad for print service providers (PSPs), creative agencies, media suppliers, and brand marketers looking to push the boundaries of what’s possible with sustainable, high-performance printing.

Puneet Chadha, Global Chief Marketing Officer, Redington Limited, said, “This isn’t just a demo centre, it’s a space dedicated to creativity, collaboration, and the acceleration of innovation. It has been shaped by the belief, passion, and persistence of our customers, partners, and the media who championed this industry long before it became mainstream. Together, we didn’t just grow a market, we created one. As we open this space, it’s not about showcasing machines, it's about unlocking the next idea, the next innovation, the next breakthrough. This is where the future of print takes shape with the collective strength of our community driving it forward.”

Raghu Ram, Senior Vice President, Endpoint Solutions Group, Redington Limited, said, “At Redington, we are focused on delivering value beyond products. This Experience Center is an investment in knowledge-sharing, upskilling, and industry collaboration. We’re excited to see how customers, creatives, and partners come together here to discover new print frontiers and transform their ideas into impactful outcomes.”

“The inauguration of the HP x Redington Graphics Experience Center marks a significant step forward in our mission to empower India’s dynamic print industry,” said Vitesh Sharma, Country Head - India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka for Large Format Printing Business, HP. “This Center is a collaborative hub where PSPs, brands, media suppliers, and creative agencies can explore, experiment, and innovate together. As customer expectations evolve, there’s a growing need for versatile, scalable, and sustainable print solutions. This facility brings those possibilities to life, reinforcing our commitment to fostering innovation and helping our partners stay ahead in a fast-changing landscape.”

At the center, Redington will leverage the advanced capabilities of the HP Latex 730 and 830 printer series, which are engineered to meet the evolving needs of PSPs. Featuring HP Pixel Control, next-generation inks, and a new printhead architecture, these printers deliver vibrant colors, sharp text, and consistent quality across a wide range of substrates. Automated features such as double-sided printing, spindle-less front-loading, and a new output platen minimize material waste and streamline workflows. Additionally, the printers integrate with HP PrintOS Production Hub, offering real-time monitoring, remote queue management, and a centralized dashboard to optimize production efficiency.

As part of its commitment to sustainability, Redington will also actively promote the HP Planet Partners program through the center. This initiative supports HP’s broader sustainability goals by enabling the responsible return and recycling of used print supplies, reinforcing a circular economy.

Together, Redington and HP are enabling Indian print and design community with advance and sustainable print technologies.

About Redington Ltd:

Redington Limited (NSE: REDINGTON; BSE: 532805), a leading technology solutions provider and a Fortune India 500 company, empowers businesses in their digital transformation journeys by addressing technology friction – the gap between innovation and adoption. With presence in over 40 markets, 450+ brand associations, and 70,000+ channel partners, Redington enables end-to-end distribution for IT/ITeS, Telecom, Lifestyle, and Solar products across various markets. Through its focus on innovation and partnerships, Redington remains a trusted global distributor of products, services, and solutions.

SAP Labs India Commits €194 Million for Second Bengaluru Campus, Eyes AI-Led Innovation

SAP Labs India has announced a major expansion with a €194 million (approximately $224.65 million USD) investment to establish its second campus in Bengaluru, reinforcing its commitment to India as a strategic innovation hub. The new facility, located in Devanahalli near Kempegowda International Airport, spans 41 acres and is set to become one of SAP’s largest global campuses.

Named the SAP Labs India Innovation Park, the campus is designed as a “living lab” to foster co-innovation across SAP’s ecosystem—including customers, partners, academia, and startups. It will host the full spectrum of SAP’s product operations, with a strong focus on AI-driven enterprise solutions ranging from S/4 HANA to sustainability platforms.

Currently housing 3,200 employees, the campus will accommodate 4,500 professionals in its first phase, with full capacity expected to reach 15,000 by Q3 2028. This expansion complements SAP’s existing Whitefield campus and strengthens its position as SAP’s largest R&D center outside Germany, with over 17,000 employees already contributing to global product development.

SAP’s leadership emphasized the strategic importance of India in its global innovation roadmap. Sindhu Gangadharan, Managing Director of SAP Labs India, highlighted the country’s pivotal role in shaping next-generation enterprise technologies. Thomas Saueressig, SAP SE Executive Board Member, described the new campus as a “strategic asset” for delivering enterprise-grade AI and data solutions.

The investment aligns with SAP’s broader push into generative AI, with 75% of its engineers undergoing AI training and 90% already leveraging AI tools to enhance productivity. The company aims to double client productivity gains from 20% to 40% by the end of the year through AI-led transformation.

This move not only underscores SAP’s long-term commitment to India’s tech ecosystem but also signals a bold step toward redefining enterprise innovation through AI and collaborative development.

10 Leading AI Innovation and Research Centres in India

India's growth in AI innovation and research centers is not only driving technological advancements but also creating job opportunities and fostering innovation across various sectors.

For an uninitiated, AI innovation and delivery centers are specialized facilities that focus on developing and deploying artificial intelligence technologies. These centers often house advanced computing infrastructure, research labs, and development teams working on cutting-edge AI projects. These centers play a crucial role in advancing AI technologies and bringing innovative solutions to market.

Since start of this decade, India is rapidly emerging as a global center for AI innovation and data center growth. The country's data center industry is expected to grow by 66% by 2026, with significant investments from global tech giants like Google, Microsoft, and Amazon.

India is home to a significant number of Al innovation and research centers, spread across various cities. While the exact number may vary, there are at least 25 Technology Innovation Hubs established under the National Mission on Interdisciplinary Cyber-Physical Systems (NM-ICPS). Additionally, there are several Al research labs and Centers of Excellence (CoEs) focused on healthcare, agriculture, and sustainable cities.

Here are some of the leading AI innovation and delivery centers in India:

1. Robert Bosch Centre for Data Science and AI at IIT Madras:

Focuses on leveraging data science and AI for impactful decisions across various domains.

Established in 2017, RBCDSAI aims to leverage data science to provide actionable, reliable, and impactful insights across various domains such as engineering, finance, and healthcare. The center focuses on areas like safety and stability preserving reinforcement learning, network representation learning, and learning with limited and partial data.

2. NV AI Centre at IIT Hyderabad:

Established, in 2020, in collaboration with NVIDIA, this center accelerates AI research and commercial applications. This center aims to accelerate research on artificial intelligence and its commercial adoption.

The center is equipped with NVIDIA DGX-1TM and DGX-2TM systems, providing powerful computing resources for AI research. The center collaborates with industry partners to drive innovation and apply AI solutions to real-world challenges.

3. Intel AI Research Centre at IIT Hyderabad (INAI) :

A collaboration between Intel India and IIT Hyderabad to apply AI to solve challenges in healthcare and smart mobility. Launched in October 2020, INAI aims to drive innovation and entrepreneurship in AI, focusing on high-impact research for social sector development.

The center provides national scale computing infrastructure, tools, and frameworks to facilitate advanced AI solution development. It aims to develop human capacity in advanced AI technologies by attracting talented researchers from around the world.

4. AI Innovation Hub at Accenture:

The AI Innovation Hub at Accenture India is a key part of Accenture's global network of innovation hubs. Located in Bengaluru and Hyderabad, these hubs are designed to help clients co-innovate and co-create solutions using advanced technologies like AI, automation, blockchain, and more.

These AI innovation hubs house state-of-the-art labs and studios where clients can experience real innovation in action. Clients can work alongside Accenture's experts to rapidly prototype and scale disruptive products and services.

The Bengaluru hub includes a generative AI studio that focuses on optimizing business processes and enabling enterprise reinvention. The hubs are part of Accenture's extensive global network, connecting clients with innovation centers in cities like Toronto, Tokyo, and New York.

5. AI Kriya at IIT Hyderabad:

The AI Kriya at IIT Hyderabad is a dedicated center for research and innovation in artificial intelligence, established with the support of JICA (Japan International Cooperation Agency) and Honeywell. The center aims to serve the computing and resource needs of researchers working on AI projects at IIT Hyderabad.

6. Centre of Excellence in Artificial Intelligence (CoEAI) at IIT Kharagpur:

Leverages decades of research in AI for fundamental and applied AI projects. Established in April 2018, CoEAI focuses on fundamental and applied AI research, leveraging over three decades of IIT Kharagpur's contributions to AI.

The center also supports entrepreneurship in AI, helping to build a vibrant community of Innovators.

7. Infosys Centre for Artificial Intelligence at IIIT Delhi:

The Infosys Centre for Artificial Intelligence (CAI) at the Indraprastha Institute of Information Technology (IIIT) Delhi was established in 2016 with support from Infosys Limited. The center focuses on research and development in various AI fields, including autonomous vehicles, AI in healthcare, AI in robotics, AI in mobility, and satellite navigation.

The Centre conducts research on real-life AI problems and aims to expand the horizons of science for the benefit of humanity. The center has produced several products and publications, contributing to global AI advancements.

SICKLE, a multi-sensor satellite imagery dataset annotated with key cropping parameters, is one of the notably projects under the aegis of Infosys Centre for Artificial Intelligence at IIIT Delhi.

8. DAIR at IIT Delhi:

A research center dedicated to AI and machine learning research.

The Data Analytics and Intelligence Research (DAIR) Group at IIT Delhi is a research group within the Department of Computer Science and Engineering. DAIR is dedicated to advancing the field of data analytics and intelligence through rigorous research and collaboration.

The group focuses on various aspects of data analytics and artificial intelligence, including machine learning, natural language processing, and information extraction.

The group has several repositories on GitHub, where they share their research code and projects. DAIR hosts a weekly seminar series where members and interested participants can discuss ongoing research and developments in the field.

9. CFILT Lab at IIT Bombay:

Focuses on computational and financial engineering, and AI research.

The Centre for Indian Language Technology (CFILT) at IIT Bombay is a leading research center in the field of Natural Language Processing (NLP). Established with a grant from the Department of Information Technology, Ministry of Communication and Information Technology, Government of India, CFILT focuses on developing technologies for Indian languages.

CFILT works on lexical resources, lexical and structural disambiguation, shallow parsing, cross-lingual information retrieval, machine translation, text entailment, and sentiment analysis

The center has developed several notable projects, including the Hindi WordNet, Marathi WordNet, and Sanskrit WordNet.

CFILT also work on projects like Shabdamitra for Hindi and Marathi language learning.

10. CAIR at DRDO, Ministry of Defence, Government of India:

A center for AI research aimed at defense applications.

The Centre for Artificial Intelligence & Robotics (CAIR) at the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), Ministry of Defence, Government of India, is a premier laboratory involved in research and development in the areas of Artificial Intelligence (AI), Robotics, Command and Control, and Information and Communication Security.

CAIR aims to add value to information by delivering dependable information systems to the Defence services for battle space dominance.

The center focuses on developing technologies that ensure relevance, security, safety, resiliencv. survivability, and and trustworthiness for mission-critical applications.

CAIR develops mission-critical products for battlefield secure communication and information management systems.

These centers are at the forefront of AI research and innovation in India, contributing to advancements in various fields.

Notably, Global Capability Centers (GCCs) have evolved from cost-efficient offshore service centers to critical innovation hubs. These GCCs are leading advancements in AI, cloud computing, and data science.

Besides, India's data center industry is expected to grow by 66% by 2026, with significant investments from global tech giants like Google, Microsoft, and Amazon. Cities like Chennai, Bangalore, Mumbai, and Hyderabad are becoming key data center hubs.

Indian government-led Vision 2047 aims to position the country as a leader in AI and data center infrastructure. The country ranks fourth globally in AI research output, and its data center market is projected to reach $11.85 billion by 2029.

India's growth in AI innovation and delivery centers is not only driving technological advancements but also creating job opportunities and fostering innovation across various sectors.

Tata Steel and Australia's Monash University Sign MoU to Set Up Sustainability-focused Centre for Innovation

Centre will focus on decarbonisation, resource recovery from sustainable sources, and technologies towards smart manufacturing

Will provide educational and professional opportunities for students and academia, and foster the exchange of knowledge and talent between India and Australia

Tata Steel and Australia’s Monash University have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to set up a Centre for Innovation on Environment and Intelligent Manufacturing to collaborate on contemporary global challenges such as decarbonisation, resource recovery from sustainable sources, and technologies for advanced, additive, and data-driven manufacturing. The MoU is a milestone that marks the beginning of the first major research and development collaboration of Tata Steel with an Australian institution.

The collaboration will provide educational and professional opportunities for students and academia, fostering the exchange of knowledge and talent between India and Australia. On a broader scale, this partnership will help the Australian innovation ecosystem build stronger ties with India.

T. V. Narendran, CEO & Managing Director, Tata Steel, said: “As the second largest steel-producing country in the world, India’s role in the global steel industry has gained considerable traction not only in terms of volume and quality but also how we manufacture the world’s favourite alloy. As the oldest steel maker in India, Tata Steel has taken upon itself the responsibility of leading the change towards more sustainable manufacturing practices. Today, we are building a comprehensive ecosystem that involves partners from academia and the world of startups. Our agreement with Monash University, an institute with an impressive reputation in material science and the ability to scale research into market-ready solutions, is an addition to this ecosystem. We look forward to a fruitful partnership that opens new business opportunities and drives technological advancements for the benefit of our people and the planet.”

Professor Doron Ben-Meir, Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Enterprise and Engagement) and Senior Vice-President, Monash University, said: "We are pleased to collaborate with Tata Steel to advance material science and chemical process research. Working with a global industry partner of this stature is an important step to driving the development of vital materials and technologies. The collaboration will draw upon Monash University's world-renowned expertise in industry-facing research and scale-up.”

Professor Mainak Majumder of the Faculty of Engineering and Director of the ARC Research Hub for Advanced Manufacturing with 2D Materials (AM2D), said: “The Centre for Innovation is aligned strategically with our mission of thinking locally, but acting globally, as we strive to create impact for Australian-born science and technology.”

As part of its decarbonisation journey, Tata Steel is seeking innovative ways to achieve its sustainability goals through continuous experimentation, investments in research, technological innovations, and collaborations with various academia, startups, and other reputed organisations. The Company recently signed MoUs with Imperial College London and The Henry Royce Institute to set up Centres of Innovation in the UK focussing on sustainable design and manufacturing, and advanced materials.

Deloitte Opens First Phygital Innovation Center in Bangalore

The largest professional services network, Deloitte, has recently inaugurated a groundbreaking 'phygital' innovation centre in Bengaluru. This innovative center, known as the Deloitte Centre of Innovation and Technology (DCIT), is a fusion of the physical and digital realms, offering domain-specific solutions to help businesses reduce costs and increase efficiency.

The DCIT aims to assist customers in finding new and sustainable ways to grow their businesses while fostering a culture of innovation. It serves as a hub for exploring cutting-edge technologies and envisioning novel business models.

The centre spans across an impressive 12,500 square feet and comprises five distinct zones:

• Retail: Focused on reimagining customer interfaces and experiences within the retail sector.
• Manufacturing: A space for creating diverse prototypes related to supply chains and product development.
• Digital Studio: Where innovative ideas come to life through technology, including 5G connectivity and AI.
• Immersive: Utilizing mixed reality, immersive reality, and augmented reality to provide hands-on, real-time experiences.
• Advanced Connectivity: Bridging visionary concepts with the delivery of high-quality products and services.

Deloitte emphasizes the importance of collaboration. The big-four company aims to bring together the entire ecosystem, including clients and alliance partners, on a co-creation journey. This collective effort ensures that diverse perspectives contribute to the success of the centre.

DCIT boasts over 60 use cases across various sectors, including retail, manufacturing, and healthcare. These use cases will be refreshed every 90 days, ensuring relevance and adaptability.

Through mixed reality and other technologies, DCIT provides hands-on experiences, allowing businesses to test scenarios before deployment. Understanding expected results is crucial for novel business ideas.

Deloitte collaborates with academia, including institutions like IIT Delhi and IIT Madras, to stimulate innovation and drive meaningful change.

Businesses can actively engage with Deloitte's DCIT to explore innovative solutions, reimagine customer experiences, and leverage cutting-edge technology for growth and efficiency. Moreover, the DCIT can act as an accelerator for startups, providing them with the tools, expertise, and ecosystem to turn their innovative ideas into viable, market-ready solutions.

Startups often have innovative ideas but may lack the resources to access advanced technologies. The DCIT provides access to technologies like 5G connectivity and Al, which can help startups bridge visionary ideas with the delivery of high- quality products and services. The DCIT can offer prototyping & product development for startups with facilities to create diverse prototypes, allowing startups to develop and test their products in a supportive environment. This can significantly reduce the time and cost associated with product development.

In essence, the Deloitte 'phygital' innovation centre represents a powerful convergence of physical and digital realms, where visionary ideas meet practical execution, ultimately benefiting both businesses and startups across industries.

Ministry Setting Up Graphene Engg. and Innovation Centre for Startups

The Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology (MeitY) has launched the Graphene-Aurora program at a function in Maker Village Kochi in Kerala. MeitY Secretary Mr. Alkesh Kumar Sharma launched the program on Monday.

With this, a graphene engineering and innovation centre in Kerala will be setup to drive commercialisation of the advanced material and to empower emerging tech startups.

To recall, in January last year Digital University of Kerala (DUK), along with Centre for Materials for Electronics Technology (C-MET) in Thrissur, launched India's first Graphene Innovation Centre.

With the total budget outlay of Rs 94.85 Crore, the Graphene program shall be implemented by Digital University Kerala (DUK) with joint funding from MeitY, Government of India and Government of Kerala, and industry partners.

Carborundum Pvt Limited joined as one of the main industry partners. Earlier in May, Carborundum signed an MoU with the DUK to set up a Centre of Excellence, where further research and development on Graphene is going on.

The upcoming engineering & innovation Centre dedicated to Graphene, will be set up as section 8 company (not for profit) and is named —‘India Graphene Engineering and Innovation Centre (I-GEIC)’.

The initial operations of I-GEIC will start from the recently opened facility of Government of Kerala at Digital Science Park in Thiruvananthapuram. It shall fill the gap between R&D and commercialization by providing a complete facility to startup and industry.

Along with the startup products developed, the technologies and products also developed at research and development centers like India Innovation Centre Graphene (IICG), setup at Makers village, Kochi shall be considered for commercialization.

The upcoming Graphene Centre will nurture the deep/emerging Graphene technology & innovation ecosystem that can guide, develop, implement, and support SMEs and startups to commercialize developed graphene technologies for scale adoption.

The MeitY Secretary mentioned that creation of a commercialization eco-system for graphene as an emerging technology would help India take a pole position in the world’s new material market.

Tata Steel Sets Up an Innovation Centre for Mining and Mineral Research at IIT (ISM) Dhanbad

Strategic focus will be to create breakthrough technological solutions and research infrastructure in niche areas of national and international importance, 

Part of the Company’s larger endeavor to build stronger industry-academia partnership for creating strategic advantages

Tata Steel has established a Centre for Innovation in Mining and Mineral Beneficiation at the Indian Institute of Technology (Indian School of Mines), Dhanbad. The Company aims to strengthen its long-term competitiveness through excellence in developing technological solutions in natural and urban mining and beneficiation for value from low grade and difficult ores. The Centre will enable growth of relevant research infrastructure, attract talent, and help strengthen industry-academia collaborative eco-system in areas of strategic national importance. Creation of this Centre is aligned to Tata Steel’s focus on building closer ties with centres of academic excellence and set up technology clusters in identified, strategic areas.

Dr Debashish Bhattacharjee, Vice President, Technology and New Materials Business, Tata Steel, said: “Collaboration between industry and academia is key to catalysing innovation and aiding sustainable business growth. IIT (ISM) Dhanbad provides a strong academic and research platform with excellent talent pool in one of the areas of Tata Steel’s strategic, long- and short-term business interests - mining and mineral beneficiation. With the creation of this Centre for Innovation with Rs 22cr from Tata Steel, we look forward to jointly develop and scale up technologies relevant for local mines and ores. Work at this centre will cover technology development for natural and urban mining. The Centre will also work on beneficiation and value addition of low-grade ores. Tata Steel is committed to pioneer disruptive development through active engagement with academic institutions.”

Prof. Rajiv Shekhar Director Indian Institute of Technology (ISM) said: We are delighted to establish this Centre of Excellence (CoE) with Tata Steel Limited in the form of “Tata Steel Innovation Centre on Mining and Mineral Research (ICMMR) at IIT(ISM) Dhanbad” to strengthen Industry-Institute collaborations and solve real-life problems of mutual interest. IIT(ISM) Dhanbad, a world-renowned Institute in the fields of Mining, Mineral & Earth Sciences, is extremely pleased to work with Tata Steel Limited on this path-breaking initiative. Academia and industry need to forge such symbiotic partnerships that bring benefits to both. Such collaborative efforts will be instrumental in advancing research and innovation in technology development, besides creating a skilled workforce. Through this joint collaboration, we look forward to leveraging the latest technological advancements to groom our researchers and work towards the development of sustainable, innovative processes for a green and safe future.”

Technology-enabled leadership is expected to have a significant impact on India's share of global trade in the emerging knowledge economy. Given the complexities of technical issues in indigenous raw materials, it is critical that industry and academia collaborate to achieve technology leadership, research excellence, and breakthrough technological solutions of national significance.

IIT (ISM) Dhanbad is a prestigious institute of eminence and capability, that will contribute technological thought leadership and further strengthen Tata Steel's Research & Development prowess. The Innovation Center is strategically located to leverage the advantages of other nearby research institutes, regulatory bodies, and, more importantly, a trained and skilled workforce. The Center would be one of its kind in the state of Jharkhand and will target attracting youth towards Research and Development. The center will further aim to achieve research excellence by attracting renowned experts and forming strategic partnerships with OEMs to provide complete solutions.

With a century plus experience in sourcing raw material through scientific research & development and sustainable mining, Tata Steel’s long-term strategy has been designed to develop existing raw material resources and achieve raw material security across its global operations. The concerted research and development efforts of Tata Steel and IIT (ISM) in the mining and minerals domain will strengthen India's position to better utilize local resources and strengthen the skills of miners in the country.

About Tata Steel

Tata Steel group is among the top global steel companies with an annual crude steel capacity of 34 million tonnes per annum. It is one of the world's most geographically diversified steel producers, with operations and commercial presence across the world. The group recorded a consolidated turnover of US $ 32.83 billion in the financial year ending March 31, 2022.

A Great Place to Work-CertifiedTM organisation, Tata Steel Limited, together with its subsidiaries, associates, and joint ventures, is spread across five continents with an employee base of over 65,000. Tata Steel has been a part of the DJSI Emerging Markets Index since 2012 and has been consistently ranked amongst top 10 steel companies in the DJSI Corporate Sustainability Assessment since 2016. Besides being a member of ResponsibleSteelTM, worldsteel’s Climate Action Programme and World Economic Forum’s Global Parity Alliance, Tata Steel has won several awards and recognitions including the World Economic Forum’s Global Lighthouse recognition for its Jamshedpur, Kalinganagar and IJmuiden Plants, and Prime Minister’s Trophy for the best performing integrated steel plant for 2016-17. The Company, ranked as India’s most valuable Metals & Mining brand by Brand Finance, featured amongst CII Top 25 innovative Indian Companies in 2021 and top 10 sustainable organisations of India Hurun Research Institute in the 2021 Capri Global Capital Hurun India Impact 50, received Steel Sustainability Champion recognition from worldsteel for five years in a row, ‘Most Ethical Company’ award 2021 from Ethisphere Institute, RIMS India ERM Award of Distinction 2021, Masters of Risk - Metals & Mining Sector recognition at The India Risk Management Awards for the sixth consecutive year, and Award for Excellence in Financial Reporting FY20 from ICAI, among several others.

To know more, visit www.tatasteel.com and www.wealsomaketomorrow.com.


Disclaimer

Statements in this press release describing the Company’s performance may be “forward looking statements” within the meaning of applicable securities laws and regulations. Actual results may differ materially from those directly or indirectly expressed, inferred or implied. Important factors that could make a difference to the Company’s operations include, among others, economic conditions affecting demand/ supply and price conditions in the domestic and overseas markets in which the Company operates, changes in or due to the environment, Government regulations, laws, statutes, judicial pronouncements and/ or other incidental factors.

Piramal Finance Launches ‘Innovation Lab’ in Bengaluru, to Accelerate Digital lending Transformation for Bharat

• Aims to have a team of over 300 professionals at the lab in Bengaluru for various tech and business intelligence roles by the end of FY23.
• Plans to attract the best tech talent from leading engineering and management institutions across India.
• A state-of-the-art Centre of Excellence for Technology and Business Intelligence that is 36,000 square feet in size.
• One of the largest NBFC-HFC in India has opened a new centre to support unique innovations in digital and retail lending to meet the needs of a growing Bharat.

Piramal Capital & Housing Finance Ltd., herein referred to as Piramal Finance, the wholly owned subsidiary of Piramal Enterprises Ltd (‘PEL’), today announced the opening of their ‘Piramal Innovation Lab’ at Bengaluru. The new state-of the-art centre will complement and support Piramal Group's commitment to innovation and growth. The 'Piramal Innovation Lab' is an extension of Piramal Finance's goal to create innovative products, which meet the various finance requirements in the under-served and unserved 'Bharat' market.

By the end of FY23, Piramal Finance aims to have a team of over 300 professionals at the Piramal Innovation Lab in Bengaluru for various tech and business intelligence positions, and will complement the existing large pool of professionals led by Saurabh Mittal (Chief Technology Officer) and Markandey Upadhyay (Head of the Business Intelligence Unit) across Mumbai and Bengaluru.

 

The company plans to attract talent for roles across Software Engineering, Product Management, User Experience (UX) and Data Sciences from the thriving tech industry and the best engineering and management colleges across India. In line with a flexible, modern way of working, Piramal Finance also offers a hybrid work model for certain roles in the tech and business intelligence functions. 

For Piramal Finance, Bengaluru was the preferred choice for the ‘Innovation Lab’, as the city has established itself as a vibrant ecosystem for technology with a solid digital infrastructure that attracts tech talent from across the country. The thriving start-up culture in Bengaluru provides well for driving disruptive innovation to improve customer offerings. Piramal Innovation Lab also plans to host regular Hackathons, which will provide a competitive setting in which engineers from all across India may use leading-edge technologies to solve hard customer problems.

As part of its phygital strategy, Piramal Finance has developed a multi-product retail-lending platform to enhance its ability to serve the people of Bharat. To revolutionise how lending operates for underserved customers, the technology and business intelligence team develops tech products that heavily use Data, Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) to provide personalized experiences for consumers and enterprises. Further, the company aims to work closely with technology ecosystem to leverage game-changer innovations like India stack to deliver lending solutions to millions of Indian at scale. 

Speaking on the occasion, Jairam Sridharan, MD, Piramal Capital & Housing Finance Ltd. said, “Piramal Finance is rapidly expanding its footprint in Tier II and III cities of Bharat and the innovation centre in Bengaluru is a significant element of our growth strategy. The financial services industry is rapidly evolving, and this initiative will accelerate the development of next-generation lending solutions and analytics that align with how consumers are reimagining the industry. Nurturing innovation is a part of our core ethos, and the center will help us to create a vibrant ecosystem of fintechs, startups and tech innovators.”

Saurabh Mittal

Saurabh Mittal, CTO, Piramal Capital & Housing Finance Ltd. said, “Digital-led innovations are likely to continue disrupting the business models of financial services companies in India's 'Techade' - technology-driven decade. This seismic shift is part of a continuous business evolution – putting the customer at the heart of lending through seamless digital embedded journeys, improved customer experience and better credit decisions. As we continue making deeper inroads as the lender of choice in Bharat, we aim to attract the best tech talent for our Innovation Lab and encourage the vibrant culture of innovation and experimentation in everything that we do.”

Piramal Finance has 343 branches and plans to expand to 500-600 branches throughout Bharat markets in 5 years. Digital Embedded Finance, established in 2020, is a business unit of Piramal Finance. Since its inception, the Embedded Finance business has launched over 24 programs in partnership with leading digital consumers and merchant engagement platforms. With the activation of numerous branches, lending partnerships, and customer acquisition, the company's retail loan disbursements surged 62% quarter-on-quarter to INR 3,973 Cr. in Q2 FY23.

About Piramal Capital & Housing Finance Limited:

Piramal Capital & Housing Finance Limited (referred as Piramal Finance), a wholly owned subsidiary of Piramal Enterprises Limited (flagship company of the Piramal Group), is a housing finance company engaged in retail and wholesale lending.

In retail lending, Piramal Finance is one of the leading players that addresses the diverse financing needs of the under-served and unserved people of ‘Bharat’ market. It has over 1 million customers and presence in 24 states with a network of over 300 branches. It offers multiple products, including home loans, loan against property, used car loans, small business loans to Indian budget conscious customers at the periphery of metros and in Tier I, II and III cities. In wholesale lending, it caters to both real estate as well as non-real estate sector and offers multiple products including construction finance, structured debt and senior secured debt.

For more information visit: piramalfinance.com

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Tata Technologies Invests in an Innovation Centre in France to Accentuate Product Engineering and Digital Transformation for the Aerospace and Defence Sector

Company will focus on developing a local ecosystem of diverse and skilled innovators that will develop and deliver solutions for the global aerospace & defence companies.

Tata Technologies, a global product engineering and digital services company, inaugurated its innovation centre in Toulouse, France, to cater for the new-age product engineering & digital requirements of the global aerospace and defence sector. As a strategic supplier for Airbus, Tata Technologies brings 3-decades long engineering expertise, having worked with global aerospace customers on a wide range of strategic projects across product engineering, manufacturing engineering and customer services engineering areas. This new centre in Toulouse celebrates the larger Tata Group's commitment to the aerospace & defence sector.

The new centre aims at strengthening Tata Technologies’ relationship with Airbus as an engineering partner and expand its horizon in the industry by leveraging its innovative sustainable solutions for product engineering, manufacturing engineering, customer services engineering, predictive maintenance, tool design, data analytics, factory automation, process design and simulations. These end-to-end solutions are designed to transform digital customer journeys into seamless customer experiences.

Speaking on occasion, Mr Deepanshu Khurana. Second Secretary (Economic & Commerce), Embassy of India said, " I am delighted to be part of the Tata Technologies Aerospace & Defence innovation centre inauguration event which would further strengthen the relationship between India and France. As part of the Tata group, Tata Technologies brings in three decades of product engineering and digital transformation expertise that would provide great potential to the companies in this region. This new centre will provide growth opportunities and foster talent in Toulouse. It will also strengthen the economic ecosystem of the region. This is consistent with the growing economic cooperation between India and France and increasing investments from India into France in important high-quality areas."

Speaking on occasion, Mr Warren Harris, Managing Director, and CEO of Tata Technologies said, "We are excited about the potential of the new innovation centre that we inaugurated in Toulouse, the primary aviation hub of Europe today. This new centre is designed to innovate solutions for Airbus and other Global OEMs leveraging skills of the local talent pool and knowledge of our global team/s spread across the world. We believe that creating a local ecosystem that is diverse, knowledgeable and skilled for our customers in the market will boost our strategic alliance and help us develop better products efficiently."

Tata Technologies leverages its global engineering engagement model to deliver fast and optimized solutions for engineering analysis and modelling, continuous engineering support, cabin interior design and development, passenger-to-freighter conversion, tooling, maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO).

About Tata Technologies: We're a global product engineering and digital services company focused on fulfilling our mission of helping the world drive, fly, build, and farm by enabling our customers to realize better products and deliver better experiences. We’re the strategic engineering partner businesses turn to when they aspire to be better. Manufacturing companies rely on us to enable them to conceptualize, develop and realize better products that are safer, cleaner, and improve the quality of life for all the stakeholders, helping us achieve our vision of #EngineeringABetterWorld. For more, visit us at https://www.tatatechnologies.com/ 

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ZEE Unveils Its Technology and Innovation Centre in Bengaluru

(L-R): Mr. Nitin Mittal, President – Technology & Data – ZEE, Hon’ble Governor of Karnataka, Mr. Thawar Chand Gehlot and Mr. Amit Goenka, President – Digital Businesses & Platforms, ZEE at the ZEE Technology and Innovation Centre, Bengaluru

The State-of-the-Art Tech Centre will strengthen the Company’s technology, innovation and data capabilities

Onboards 700+ tech experts to build cutting-edge, world-class products

Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd. (ZEE), a leading media & entertainment powerhouse today announced the launch of its Technology and Innovation Centre in India’s tech capital – Bengaluru. The state-of-the-art facility was inaugurated by the Chief Minister of Karnataka, Mr. Basavaraj Bommai, in the presence of Mr. Amit Goenka, President – Digital Businesses & Platforms, ZEE and Mr. Nitin Mittal, President – Technology & Data, ZEE. The sprawling 80,000 feet centre will be the Company’s epicentre to build a strong cohort of tech, data and talent.

Hon’ble Governor of Karnataka, Mr. Thawar Chand Gehlot also paid a visit to the Tech-centre and interacted with the tech experts, blessing the Company’s initiative, that will create employment opportunities for the young professionals in the state.

With a sharp focus on delivering world-class entertainment, ZEE has constantly upgraded its technology capabilities to disrupt the norm of the industry and deliver unmatched experiences to its consumers globally. Through the capabilities being built at this centre, the Company intends to leverage behavioural and derived data to personalize content and delivery, thereby increasing its reach across platforms. The centre will build the metaverse network for the Company with the help of AR, VR and NFT led delivery models and will focus on a futuristic tech stack which will enable omnipresent delivery of entertainment across platforms.

(L-R) Mr. Amit Goenka, President – Digital Businesses & Platforms, ZEE felicitates Hon’ble Governor of Karnataka, Mr. Thawar Chand Gehlot at the launch of ZEE Technology and Innovation Centre

Speaking at the inauguration ceremony, Chief Minister of Karnataka, Mr. Basavaraj Bommai said, "For decades, the state of Karnataka has maintained its position as the technology capital of the country and Bengaluru, its capital city, has now become the Silicon Valley of the nation. The ecosystem that Bengaluru has created, is difficult to replicate and has been created by none other than the citizens of the city. The government of Karnataka is extremely delighted to be a part of ZEE’s initiative and I am confident that the Technology & Innovation Centre set up by ZEE will help to accelerate the growth prospects of the state. Public – private partnership is essential for the growth and long term success of any state and we will ensure that we walk shoulder to shoulder with ZEE in this journey."

Mr. Basavaraj Bommai – Chief Minister of Karnataka (center) inaugurates the ZEE Technology and Innovation Centre in presence of Mr. Nitin Mittal, President – Technology & Data, ZEE (Left) and Mr. Amit Goenka, President – Digital Businesses & Platforms, ZEE (Right)

Hon’ble Governor of Karnataka, Mr. Thawar Chand Gehlot said, "The coming years promise fast paced growth & development for the state of Karnataka, mainly due to the evolution of the IT and start-up ecosystem in Bengaluru. The capital city has been consistently ranked among the Top 30 Global Start-up Ecosystems and we are glad that Corporates like ZEE are focusing their investments on India’s Silicon Valley. I congratulate ZEE on launching the tech centre and firmly believe that it will assist in propelling the state to a global stage and uplift the lives of professionals in the tech industry."

Nitin Mittal, President – Technology & Data, ZEE, said "At the Tech & Innovation Centre, we are building ability for ZEE to leverage digital technologies to improve our reach and engage our customers anytime, anywhere across all devices. We have been a frontrunner in creating engaging content for more than 1.3 billion viewers and are currently focused on building Web 3.0 entertainment platforms. This Centre will build the metaverse future of ZEE including AR, VR, NFTs and relevant data models to our digital platforms."

Animesh Kumar, President – HR and Transformation, ZEE said, “Our newly inaugurated Technology & Innovation Centre is an amalgam of a cross functional talent pool of likeminded individuals ready to challenge the status quo and create innovative solutions in the digital ecosystem. The vibrant workspace is designed with a unique employee value proposition focused on culture, collaboration & innovation is bound to spark ideas and disrupt the ConTech space. We have onboarded some of the brightest tech talent in India that will create the next level of frictionless, highly personalised delivery platforms for content consumption, thereby setting new standards in the country. This is the Centre that will drive our ambition to dominate content consumption in India and for South Asians globally"

ZEE’s people-focussed approach has been an integral part of its evolution into a Global Content Company with presence in 190+ countries offering quality content across multiple platforms and languages reaching over 1.3 billion viewers. As part of the ZEE 4.0 strategy, the Company aims to enhance and widen its digital footprint, as it continues to cater to the global community and redefine the future of entertainment by leveraging an innovation-led, technology-centric strategy.

Infosys and Rolls-Royce Jointly Launch ‘Aerospace Engineering and Digital Innovation Centre’

Indian IT giant Infosys and British luxury automobile maker. Rolls-Royce, have announced the opening of their joint “Aerospace Engineering and Digital Innovation Centre’ in Bengaluru. 

The centre is the extension of the partnership that Infosys signed signed with Rolls-Royce in December 2020, for sourcing engineering and R&D Services for Rolls-Royce's Civil Aerospace business.

The centre has been established to provide high-end research and development (R&D) services integrated with advanced digital capabilities to Rolls-Royce’s engineering and group business services from India. Infosys and Rolls-Royce’s collaboration has been reinforced through strategic deals, aimed at yielding mutual benefits to both organisations over the next seven years.

As part of this collaboration, Infosys and Rolls-Royce will combine their aerospace, engineering and digital services capabilities to explore opportunities for driving digital and engineering innovation and associated cost optimisation strategies. By expanding the local talent pool in the country, the two companies will also deliver manufacturing engineering services for the global civil aerospace ecosystem.

By expanding the local talent pool in the country, the two companies will also deliver manufacturing engineering services for the global civil aerospace ecosystem.

Over the last decade, Rolls-Royce established a multidisciplinary engineering centre in Bengaluru as part of its efforts to boost engineering and R&D services in India. 

Rolls-Royce launched R² Data Labs, which is a innovation lab by the company, in 2017, and in 2019 the R² Data Labs launched a startup accelerator in Bengaluru. The first cohort of this accelerator program was announced in September of the same year. The R² Data Labs-powered programme and was supported by NUMA Bengaluru.

Of late Aerospace sector has seen a sudden boom in the country. Last December, mach33.aero - an Accelerator and Incubation Platform for Entrepreneurs in Aerospace and Allied Industries, was launched by Social Alpha, an initiative supported by Tata Trusts, along with the National Research Development Corporation (NRDC) [an enterprise under DST, Ministry of S&T, Govt. of India] and CSIR-National Aerospace Laboratories (NAL).

Last month, ISRO and Central University of Jammu together announced the launch of a major space & aviation training institute in Jammu for the course of BTech in "Aviation & Aeronautics". The selection criteria for same will be through IIT-JEE .  

Vikram Sarabhai Children Innovation Centre (VSCIC) Launched By GUSEC and UNICEF

The Vikram Sarabhai Children Innovation Centre (VSCIC) was launched today in a virtual ceremony organised by Gujarat University Startup and Entrepreneurship Council (GUSEC), under the aegis of Gujarat University, with the support of UNICEF and Yuwaah. The Centre is projected to identify, nurture and support innovations by children in the state of Gujarat.

The Centre was launched in the presence of M Nagarajan, IAS, Director, Higher Education, Govt. of Gujarat; Jalpa Ratna, Chief of Field Services, UNICEF India; Jitendra Vijayvargiya, CEO, MeitY Startup Hub (MSH) Govt. of India; Prasanta Dash, Chief, UNICEF Gujarat; Prof Himanshu Pandya, Vice-Chancellor, Gujarat University; Dr Jagdish Bhavsar, Pro-Vice-Chancellor, Gujarat University; Moira Dawa, Communication, Advocacy & Partnership Specialist, UNICEF and Rahul Bhagchandani, Group CEO, GUSEC; along with officials of Gujarat University, GUSEC and UNICEF.

The VSCIC is envisioned to take GUSEC, UNICEF and Yuwaah’s efforts in children innovation a step further and is being established after the quantified success of two editions of the Children Innovation Festival which collectively brought more than 3100 children in the fold of innovation. The following are the key activities planned under the VSCIC:

• Developing an online platform for the promotion of innovation amongst children and various stakeholders such as school teachers and parents
• Engaging and supporting ideas by children innovators on a rolling basis through the Vikram Sarabhai Incubator of Ideas
• Creation and amplification of inspiring stories of children innovators
• Implementation and delivery of a MOOC for children on innovation, design thinking and entrepreneurship
• Introduction of an in-person immersion program for school students, teachers and parents
• Capacity building of school teachers, principals and academicians on innovation and entrepreneurship development
• Partner with organisations to expand the reach of the VSCIC to children outside the formal education system.

M Nagarajan, IAS, Director, Higher Education, Govt. of Gujarat, delivered the keynote address during the event. “This is a time for us to enable a generation of problem solvers, a society where local youth solve local problems using local resources. The VSCIC is a big leap forward in that direction, giving children access to the real world, and enforcing belief in the idea that anyone can innovate,” he said in the keynote.

Delivering a Special Address during the inaugural event, Jalpa Ratna, Chief of Field Services, UNICEF India, pointed to the enormous potential of the large global youth population and said, “In Gujarat, nearly 30 percent of the population of 60 million is aged 10-24 years. In a world exacerbated by the pandemic, the Centre will not only create mass awareness on innovation, entrepreneurship, SDGs, child rights, 21st-century skills, career guidance among school children in India but it will also create dialogue and discussion with stakeholders to gather key inputs on current curriculum for policy-level interventions. It shall help their transition to real-world learning and help them become active citizens.”

Speakers in Virtual Ceremony of VSCIC

Applauding the move, Jitendra Vijayvargiya, CEO, MeitY Startup Hub of Ministry of Electronics and IT, said, "The children of today shall inherit the India of tomorrow. We’re witnessing a cultural shift where we do not celebrate our athletes and Bollywood actors, but unicorns and innovators. People have lived in a constrained framework of mind, but today, they’re not hesitant to create their own future which is synonymous with what our honourable Prime Minister has stated - the problem is not in the mind, but in the mindset."

Prasanta Das, UNICEF Gujarat Chief spoke about the accomplishments of UNICEF, GU and GUSEC’s synergetic alliance and the importance of empowering children innovation in the state. He said, “UNICEF is committed to ensuring all children have a right to survive, thrive and fulfil their potential – to the benefit of a better world. And the establishment of the Vikram Sarabhai Children Innovation Centre is a step in that direction. I wish you the very best as you move ahead in your journey of innovation and entrepreneurship.”

Prof Himanshu Pandya, Vice-Chancellor, Gujarat University said, “Named after Dr Vikram Sarabhai, a Gujarat University alumnus who put India on the world space exploration map, the VSCIC shall develop a network between school children and innovation; we aim to produce at least ten products out of the VSCIC.”

Rahul Bhagchandani, Group CEO, GUSEC said, “The Vikram Sarabhai Children Innovation Centre is the result of years of partnership between GUSEC, UNICEF and YuWaah as well as the massive interest we have seen from young kids who want to innovate and solve challenges of the country.”

In A 1st, IIT Hyderabad Ties with Japan's Suzuki for Innovation Centre Enabling Knowledge Exchange

IIT Hyderabad starts first of its kind innovation center for knowledge exchange with Suzuki Motor Corporation (Japan) to further Academic and Technology Collaboration between India and Japan.

• It is the first Centre for Innovation, by way of knowledge exchange, by IIT Hyderabad with a company outside India. 
• The Centre will address broad challenges on and beyond mobility, in India and Japan.
• The Centre will also support skill development and exchange of human resources between India and Japan.

Indian Institute of Technology Hyderabad (IITH) and Suzuki Motor Corporation (SMC), Japan, which is the parent company of the biggest automaker in India, signed a 3-year contract to start Suzuki Innovation Centre (SIC) with the vision of “creating innovations for India and Japan” by way of providing a platform for the exchange of knowledge between the two organizations.

SIC will be operated as a platform for open innovation among Industries, Academia, and Startups. The Centre will also support skill development and the exchange of human resources between India and Japan.

IITH Suzuki Team during an MoU signing, in the year 2020 (File Photo)

SIC is yet another milestone for IITH to play an important role in strengthening the India-Japan relationship. As a part of this initiative, IITH has offered the necessary support for the Centre within the Technology Research Park.

Speaking on this initiative, Prof B S Murty, Director of IITH, said “It is a result of cumulative success stories between Suzuki Motor Corporation and IITH over the years. The philosophy of this program is to create inclusive value for the Indian and Japanese societies. IITH will work closely with Suzuki Motor Corporation and other upcoming stakeholders to identify and address broad challenges on and beyond mobility, in India and Japan, on top of the synergistic combination of technology and design. The Centre is also a testament to the leaders we are producing at our campus. Very young & dynamic alumni of IITH: Vipul Nath Jindal and Prathyusha Thammineni, who have led the whole initiative from ground-up.”

The detailed activities in Suzuki Innovation Centre are planned to be publicly launched in the second quarter this year.

Indian Institute of Technology Hyderabad (IITH) is one of the eight new IITs established by the Government of India in 2008. In a short span of 13 years, the institute has become a top ranker and currently has 260+ full-time faculty, 3,900+ students (26% women), nearly 200+ state-of-the-art laboratories, and five research and entrepreneurship centers. The institute has a strong research focus with approx. Rs 575+ crore of sanctioned research funding with Ph.D. scholars accounting for about 30% of total student strength. IITH has to its credit more than 7200+ research publications, 210+ patent disclosures, 1600+ sponsored/consultancy projects, and about 100+ startups.

Kerala Gets India's 1st Graphene Innovation Centre

Kerala state government run Digital University Kerala (DUK), along with along with Centre for Materials for Electronics Technology (C-MET) in Thrissur, is ready to launch India's first Graphene Innovation Centre

Approved by Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology (MeiTY), Government of India and Kerala government, the upcoming centre will have incubation centre and facilities to create new Graphene products.

An amount of Rs 86.41 crore has been allocated for same.

Graphene is a one-atom-thick sheet of carbon atoms arranged in a honeycomb-like pattern. Graphene is considered to be the world's thinnest, strongest and most conductive material - of both electricity and heat.

Kerala gets country’s first Graphene Innovation Centre@GoI_MeitY @CMOKerala @dukerala @TataSteelLtd
@cmetindia#graphene #2D #OLED #electronics #innovation #digitaltransformation #Kerala #GOI pic.twitter.com/aRp7aJfiri

— Digital University Kerala (@dukerala) January 25, 2022

Tata Steel Limited is set to be the industrial partner of the upcoming Graphene Innovation Centre. The other collaborators include scientists from the National Graphene Institute, University of Manchester, and other industrial partners from around the world.

To recall, for research in Graphene Tata Steel had also signed a deal for a CoE with IIT Madras in August 2016.

Digital University Kerala Technocity Campus, Thiruvananthapuram

Saji Gopinath, Vice Chancellor of DUK, said in a media statement, "We expect the centre to offer students, researchers, established industries and budding startups to test and experiment new innovative products, and make it a thriving environment for innovative graphene-based product development."

Graphene is one of the top most agendas on the list of big tech corporations in their search for finding the material that can serve as the next building block for electronic devices and transform the manufacturing sector and its various processes.

To date, Graphene the thinnest material one can imagine. It's just one atom thick! This means this material is mathematically 2-Dimensional nevertheless one can still hold this single layer of atoms in hands.

Surprisingly, graphene isn't a unique or rare substance. In fact, it has the same carbon structure as the graphite you use every day when you draw or write with your pencil But at the same time, in 0.03” of graphite, there are about 3 million graphene layers!

The emerging 2D materials will have a wide range of commercial and industrial applications in biomedical, defense, electronics, energy, and sensors, in the next decade. The centre will also develop the skilled manpower by anchoring Ph.D. and master students through Digital University, with an applied research focus in the areas of electronics product design, sensors, and energy applications, the statement added.

Last year, scientists from Institute of Nano Science and Technology, Mohali, developed a wrapping paper made of carbon (graphene oxide) loaded with preservatives that can be used as non-toxic and reusable wrappers to help extend shelf life of fruits.

Wipro-AWS launches Co-Innovation Center in Bengaluru to exhibit AI, ML, Blockchain, and IoT Solutions

Wipro Limited, a leading global information technology, consulting and business process services company, today unveiled the Wipro-AWS Launch Pad, a state-of-the-art immersive co-innovation center in collaboration with Amazon Web Services (AWS). Wipro, with its skilled team of AWS-certified employees, is an innovation-led technology partner for clients in their continuous business transformation journey.

This state-of-the-art ‘innovation-in-action’ center, located in Wipro’s campus at Kodathi, Bengaluru, will enable Wipro to develop and showcase its offerings on AWS Cloud for clients across industry sectors. The center will serve as a multi-disciplinary customer showcase hub for specialized teams to ideate, collaborate, develop and deliver futuristic solutions, leveraging AWS Cloud services in the areas of artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML), analytics, Internet of Things (IoT), blockchain, augmented and virtual reality, among others.

This center allows an integrated delivery approach that facilitates accelerated cloud adoption for enterprises, and will help clients improve agility, security and optimize costs to drive superior business performance.

From developing and creating leading-edge solutions to achieving Premier Consulting Partner status in the AWS Partner Network (APN), Wipro has developed deep expertise in AWS Cloud services to deliver transformational cloud programs. This center further reinforces Wipro and AWS’s shared commitment to deliver innovative solutions and provide exceptional customer service.

Ramesh Nagarajan, Senior Vice President - Cloud, Wipro Limited said, “The Wipro-AWS Launch Pad showcases what we do best - envisioning the future and creating transformative solutions for our customers. With our expertise in AWS Cloud Services, we are excited to support our customers’ continuous business transformation journey through the Wipro-AWS Launch Pad.”

Ed Lenta, Managing Director, Asia Pacific, Amazon Web Services added, “Wipro is raising the bar with the Wipro-AWS Launch Pad by demonstrating the truly innovative experiences that can be developed on AWS. As an AWS Partner Network (APN) Premium Consulting Partner driving some of our largest and most transformational projects, it’s great to see Wipro’s powerful vision for customer experiences come alive in such an engaging and immersive way.”
About Wipro Limited

Wipro Limited (NYSE: WIT, BSE: 507685, NSE: WIPRO) is a leading global information technology, consulting and business process services company. We harness the power of cognitive computing, hyper-automation, robotics, cloud, analytics and emerging technologies to help our clients adapt to the digital world and make them successful. A company recognized globally for its comprehensive portfolio of services, strong commitment to sustainability and good corporate citizenship, we have over 175,000 dedicated employees serving clients across six continents. Together, we discover ideas and connect the dots to build a better and a bold new future.

~ Business Wire India

Panasonic Sets Up Its First India Innovation Centre in Bengaluru; To Boost IoT, AI based Technologies

Japanese multinational electronics giant have now announced its first India Innovation Centre (IIC) in Bengaluru. The centre will be first such in India and the third globally.

Panasonic India has tied up with Indian IT firm Tata Consultancy Services Ltd (TCS) for the innovation centre, which will focus on developing technologies in the field of Internet of Things (IoT), mobility and artificial intelligence.

Panasonic will invest Rs240 crore over the next five years in the centre and aims to employ around 60 people within a year, including existing employees from both TCS and Panasonic India.

Notably, Panasonic India is a key player in the entire ISAMEA (India, South Asia, Middle East & Africa) who are into transforming its business model to offer disruptive technologies in the field of IoT, Mobility, Artificial Intelligence etc.

Mr. Manish Sharma, President, and CEO, Panasonic India and South Asia and Vice President Appliances Company Panasonic Corporation says,"Our association with TCS, a credible and global name in Engineering R&D and Information Technology space, will open up new dimensions and modernize technological thinking." "The India Innovation Centre will provide an environment to reimagine and incubate ideas across the key focus areas for Panasonic i.e., connected home/community, mobility, energy, industrial and finance solutions," he adds.

"The India Innovation Centre will provide an environment to reimagine and incubate ideas across the key focus areas for Panasonic i.e., connected home/community, mobility, energy, industrial and finance solutions," he adds.

Panasonic's other innovation centres are in Japan and the US – both of which were set up last April. The firm’s innovation centres function independently from its Centre of Excellence (CoEs).

Las month, Panasonic in partnership with Tata Elxsi opened its R&D centre in Bengaluru to boost AI-based innovations in India.