Nivruti Rai, Former Intel India Country Head, Joins Invest India As MD & CEO

Ministry of Commerce & Industry today announced that Ms. Nivruti Rai joined as the Managing Director & CEO of Invest India on July 12, 2023. Nivruti Rai is also the recipient of the prestigious Nari Shakti Puraskar on International Women's Day 2022 in recognition of her exceptional contribution to women's empowerment.

Nivruti has taken over the charge from Ms. Manmeet K Nanda, Joint Secretary, Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) who had assumed this additional charge of MD & CEO ad-interim in March 2023.

Ms. Nivruti Rai joins Invest India after an illustrious 29 years at Intel as a global business and technology leader. She led Intel India as Country Head for the past seven years driving growth and investment of Intel in India. During her tenure at Intel India, she contributed significantly towards indigenous technology development, start-up ecosystem, electronics manufacturing ecosystem and policy formulation especially in the areas of critical and emerging technologies. She has been part of the leadership team in various industrial bodies and government committees and brings a wealth of experience in working closely with industry associations, business leaders and government leaders.

Created under the vision of the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi for a New India, Invest India today is well acknowledged by stakeholders for its tangible contributions and instrumental role in executing the Government’s flagship initiatives including Make in India, Startup India, National Single Window System, Project Monitoring Group, and Prime Minister’s Science, Technology and Innovation Advisory Council. Invest India leverages private sector expertise to execute Government’s vision, embodying high levels of transparency, ethics and corporate governance.

The Board of Invest India is chaired by Shri Rajesh Kumar Singh, Secretary, DPIIT. Other members of the Board include Shri P. K. Tripathi, Secretary (Coordination), Cabinet Secretariat; Ms. Arti Bhatnagar, Additional Secretary & Financial Advisor, DPIIT; Shri Md. Noor Rahman Sheikh, Joint Secretary, Ministry of External Affairs; Shri Anand Mahindra, Chairperson, Mahindra Group; Shri Pankaj R. Patel, Chairperson, Cadilla Healthcare; Shri Harshvardhan Neotia, Chairperson, Ambuja Neotia Group; Ms. Rekha M. Menon, Chairperson & Senior MD, Accenture; Ms. Debjani Ghosh, President, NASSCOM; and Shri Chandrajit Banerjee, Director General, CII.

Intel’s Operations in India, Costa Rica and the US Officially Net Positive on Water Use

Intel Achieves Net Positive Water in 3 Countries

Water management strategy is working internally and in local communities and will be included in Intel’s expansion sites.

​Intel’s operations in the United States, Costa Rica and India are officially net positive on water use. In these three countries, Intel restores and returns more freshwater than it takes in.

That may sound like creative accounting or a magic trick, but dig deeper and you’ll find Intel’s long-running commitment to conserve water and minimize its impact on the planet – one that goes beyond the bounds of Intel’s campuses and is motivated by more than just saving money on the water bill.

 

Todd Brady, Intel chief sustainability officer and vice president of Global Public Affairs, explains: “More than 10 years ago, we began to explore how we could better understand and reduce our water footprint. Five years ago, we set a public goal to restore 100% of our consumption, and became the first tech company to set a companywide water restoration goal. Two years ago, we announced our goal to achieve net positive water by 2030, driven by our commitment to reduce our overall impact on our local watersheds and support the water resources that serve our communities.

“It’s exciting to share that we’ve reached net positive water in three countries, through strong partnerships with environmental nonprofits and local governments, and through our water stewardship investments. We are not stopping here – now we are focused on reaching net positive water in the remaining locations where we operate.”

Last year, Intel used 16 billion gallons of freshwater, reclaimed water and desalinated water. Internal water management practices resulted in more than 13 billion gallons of water flowing out of Intel, back to surrounding communities. Adding in restoration projects, Intel is edging toward its global goal of returning and restoring more water than it uses to the community and the environment. And the company’s new sites are being built to Intel’s commitment to reach net positive water globally by 2030.

A lot goes into making Intel’s factories run, but water is arguably one of the most important ingredients. It’s used in the manufacturing process, including in manufacturing tools that produce leading technology, in data centers and in evaporative cooling towers.

Intel uses freshwater as well as reclaimed water purchased from utilities, but it taps into other sources, too. In Israel, desalination removes salt from seawater to make it usable. Other Intel facilities may draw water from on-site wells and collect rainwater to top off the supply that comes from the city. Intel’s CSR report includes a balance sheet of where the water for each site comes from and where it goes after.

Balancing the equation of water in and water out means working hard to conserve and reuse water where possible. A portion of the water Intel buys is lost to irrigation and evaporation, but there are huge water-saving efforts that go on inside Intel to make sure it’s as water-conscious as possible.

Making the Most of What Intel Has

Internal conservation efforts allowed Intel to save 9.3 billion gallons of water last year – an increase of 114% over the past two years. Improvements and efficiencies in manufacturing processes mean Intel can do more with less, and on-site treatment plants allow the company to maximize its water reuse and reduce use of freshwater resources.

During 2021, Intel made significant progress in the operation of its on-site water reclamation facilities. These innovative plants allow Intel to treat and reuse water within operations in systems like cooling towers and scrubbers, resulting in a substantial increase in water conservation that reduces the use of freshwater sources.

Beyond Intel: Beer, Wildlife and Rivers Benefit

How will Intel get to global net positive water, especially if there’s water lost to evaporation and other things the company can’t do anything about?

Intel’s restoration efforts make up the gap and ensure Intel’s impact on the planet goes further than just “canceling out” water use in factories. Intel focuses its water restoration efforts in the watersheds impacted by its sites. For Arizona, Intel-funded water projects restored 890 million gallons to the watershed in 2021. The projects vary, from traditional conservation to a focus on shifting local economies in ways that will have a long-term impact.

In Arizona, the Verde River is home to migratory birds, nesting bald eagles, river otters and fish. The river is also a major source of water for Phoenix and is critical to the area’s agricultural economy. In the hot summer months, withdrawals from the Verde River increase to keep crops hydrated and healthy.

An Intel-funded project incentivized farmers to switch out crops that require heavy irrigation in the summer months for barley, which is harvested earlier in the year and requires less water. As part of the project, an investment in a local malt house lowered the transaction costs involved in malting barley, which can then be sold to local breweries that previously had to use out-of-state suppliers.

In Bengaluru, India, once known as the “City of Lakes,” significant urban development has contributed to extreme water stress and groundwater depletion. To support Bengaluru’s water resources, Intel has funded two water restoration projects that, once fully implemented, will restore more than 100 million gallons each year between Dyavasandra Lake and Lake Nanjapura.

Fawn Bergen, corporate sustainability manager, highlights the knock-on effects of Intel’s conservation work as additional positives, though it’s not measurable.

“Intel was one of the first tech companies to make a public commitment around water restoration, but we’re not alone in this,” she says. “In the years since we announced our water commitment, we’ve had conversations with other companies who have come to us for help or advice with setting their own water stewardship goals. Although water challenges are local, the partnerships, collective actions and investments are global.”

New Sites Will Incorporate Water Wisdom

Since 2021, Intel has announced ambitious plans to ramp up production with new facilities in Arizona, Ohio and Europe. Work toward net positive water will build on what the company has learned over the past 20 years to minimize the impact of new facilities on the surrounding environment.

“I grew up in the Pacific Northwest – a region known for its considerable rainfall. People often think this means that there is little to no water risk,” Bergen says. “But water stress, which is based on both supply and demand, exists at varying levels around the world – in dry or wet climates. That’s why it is important to consider your water footprint – and work toward solutions – in the context of the watershed.”

Though new sites will increase its water footprint, Intel’s goal to achieve net positive water globally by 2030 has not changed. It will need to conserve 60 billion gallons of water and restore more than 100% of its global freshwater consumption. How close is the company to hitting that 100% now?

As of 2021, Intel is at 99%.

CCI ordered Probe against Intel India for alleged "Unfair and Discriminatory" Warranty Policy for Micro-Processors

Competition Commission of India (CCI) has ordered a probe against Intel Corp for alleged "unfair and discriminatory" provisions in warranty policy for boxed micro-processors sold in India. Boxed micro-processor (BMP) is a Central Processing Unit (CPU) used for self-assembled computers.

The complaint was filed by Matrix Info Systems Pvt Ltd, engaged in the business of importing and supplying various IT products, against Intel Corporation and its Indian subsidiary Intel Technology India Pvt Ltd.

Matrix alleged that Intel Technology India had entered into an agreement with its authorised Indian distributors which gives them exclusive selling rights in India.

The imposition of the condition to purchase from only certain distributors for claiming warranty in India and a blanket ban on after-sales warranties if purchased from other sources is resulting in total deprivation of consumer choice, the complainant alleged.

Further, the complainant alleged that Intel has been behaving in differential manner with respect to Indian market by implementing a warranty policy specifically for India with regard to BMP.

As per the new policy of 2016, Intel does not offer warranty service to consumers in India on products purchased by them from parallel importers even when such parallel imports have been made from authorised distributors of Intel abroad, it alleged.

[caption id="attachment_132923" align="aligncenter" width="1024"] Representative Image[/caption]

The complainant further alleged that denial of market access to other resellers and parallel importers due to unreasonable condition of warranty put by Intel is in contravention of Section 4 of the Competition Act, which pertains to abuse of dominant position.

Intel in its submissions to the Commission mentioned that India specific warranty policy for BMP of the IT firm is compatible with the Indian legal position.

CCI considered micro-processors market for desktops and laptops in India as the relevant one for the case and found the IT giant to be 'prima-facie' in dominant position.

The Commission observed that the amended warranty policy of Intel in India seems to be aimed at disincentivising the purchase of BMP from distributors other than its authorised distributors in India even when they can get it at cheaper rates from Intel's authorised distributors abroad.

Based on this, CCI said Intel's India specific warranty policy is "prima facie unfair and discriminatory, especially when seen in the light of the fact that such differential treatment is not meted out by Intel in other jurisdictions."

In this regard, the Commission has directed the Director General, its investigation arm, to conduct a probe into the matter and submit an investigation report within a period of 150 days. PTI VHP

NITI Aayog, Intel and TIFR Collaborate to Launch Int. Center for AI-led Research in Agri, Healthcare & Smart Mobility

NITI Aayog, Intel, and Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR) announced on 7th September that they are collaborating to set up a Model International Center for Transformative Artificial Intelligence (ICTAI) towards developing and deploying AI-led application-based research projects. This initiative is part of NITI Aayog’s ‘National Strategy for Artificial Intelligence’ Discussion Paper that focuses on establishing ICTAI in the country through private sector collaboration.

Based in Bengaluru, the Model ICTAI aims to conduct advanced research to incubate Artificial Inteligence (AI) -led solutions in three important areas -- healthcare, agriculture and smart mobility -- by bringing together the expertise of Intel and TIFR.It aims to experiment, discover and establish best practices in the domains of ICTAI governance, fundamental research, physical infrastructure, compute and service infrastructure needs, and talent acquisition.

Anna Roy, Advisor, NITI Aayog, said, "NITI Aayog had recommended ICTAIs for applied research in AI in the National Strategy Paper. Private sector collaboration is deemed tobe essential in making fundamental research get adopted for solving actual problems India faces, especially in the five sectors identified in the paper – Healthcare, Agriculture, Education, Smart cities and Mobility. This collaboration with TIFR and Intel will help us experiment and establish the foundational governance practices required to enable such applied research institutions succeed in the long term."

Through this collaborative effort, the model ICTAI is chartered to develop AI foundational frameworks, tools and assets, including curated datasets and unique AI algorithms.The intent is to develop standards and support policy development related to information technology such as data-storage, information security, privacy, and ethics for data capture and use. The model Centre also plans to develop AI foundational technologies to promote applied research that can scale for national impact and will lead to the creation of a vibrant and self-sustaining ecosystem.

Another key area of its focus will be collaboration with industry leaders, startups, and AI services and product companies to productize technologies and IP that are developed at the model ICTAI. And finally, the goal is to support skilling and talent development for world-class AI talent.

To recall, in May this year NITI Aayog partnered with Google to stimulate growth in India's nascent artificial intelligence and machine learning ecosystem by working together on several initiatives in these new-age technologies.

The learning and best practices developed through this model ICTAI will be used by NITI Aayog to set up the future ICTAIs across country.

Nivruti Rai, Country Head, Intel India, & Vice President, Data Center Group, said, "Artificial Intelligence is going to be a transformative driver of economic growth and social progress, and Intel’s vision is to drive human-centric AI to benefit humanity in an inclusive manner. In India, through the AI-for-All initiative, we aim to deliver the twin goals of solving hard problems of humanity, and helping India achieve its vision of global AI leader, by bringing together a rich ecosystem of research, innovation, technology development and deployment. We take immense pride in being the Industry lead along with NITI Aayog and TIFR, and I believe the model ICTAI will pave the way for application-based AI research and solutions needed in India for critical domains such as healthcare, agriculture, and smart mobility."

In August 2016, NITI Aayog had entered an another partnership with Intel India to set up as well manage 10 Atal Tinkering Laboratories (ATL) in schools across India. Intel India has been designated with the task of setting up the first 10 of these 500 laboratories, and the labs established by Intel will serve as model laboratories for the remaining 490 ATLs.

Speaking on the partnership for model ICTAI, Director of TIFR, Prof. Sandip Trivedi, said, "This collaboration is a very exciting beginning where we plan to bring fundamental and applied research, innovation and technology development together to solve important problems facing our nation with potentially transformative effects on society. There are also a number of important issues related to ethics, privacy, etc, that AI and related technologies raise which are important to address. TIFR is excited to be in this collaboration; this center will be an important role model for future partnerships between industry, academia and government, which are the need of the hour in our country today."

Source - Press Information Bureau

NITI Aayog, Intel and TIFR Collaborate to Launch Int. Center for AI-led Research in Agri, Healthcare & Smart Mobility

NITI Aayog, Intel, and Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR) announced on 7th September that they are collaborating to set up a Model International Center for Transformative Artificial Intelligence (ICTAI) towards developing and deploying AI-led application-based research projects. This initiative is part of NITI Aayog’s ‘National Strategy for Artificial Intelligence’ Discussion Paper that focuses on establishing ICTAI in the country through private sector collaboration.

Based in Bengaluru, the Model ICTAI aims to conduct advanced research to incubate Artificial Inteligence (AI) -led solutions in three important areas -- healthcare, agriculture and smart mobility -- by bringing together the expertise of Intel and TIFR.It aims to experiment, discover and establish best practices in the domains of ICTAI governance, fundamental research, physical infrastructure, compute and service infrastructure needs, and talent acquisition.

Anna Roy, Advisor, NITI Aayog, said, "NITI Aayog had recommended ICTAIs for applied research in AI in the National Strategy Paper. Private sector collaboration is deemed tobe essential in making fundamental research get adopted for solving actual problems India faces, especially in the five sectors identified in the paper – Healthcare, Agriculture, Education, Smart cities and Mobility. This collaboration with TIFR and Intel will help us experiment and establish the foundational governance practices required to enable such applied research institutions succeed in the long term."

Through this collaborative effort, the model ICTAI is chartered to develop AI foundational frameworks, tools and assets, including curated datasets and unique AI algorithms.The intent is to develop standards and support policy development related to information technology such as data-storage, information security, privacy, and ethics for data capture and use. The model Centre also plans to develop AI foundational technologies to promote applied research that can scale for national impact and will lead to the creation of a vibrant and self-sustaining ecosystem.

Another key area of its focus will be collaboration with industry leaders, startups, and AI services and product companies to productize technologies and IP that are developed at the model ICTAI. And finally, the goal is to support skilling and talent development for world-class AI talent.

To recall, in May this year NITI Aayog partnered with Google to stimulate growth in India's nascent artificial intelligence and machine learning ecosystem by working together on several initiatives in these new-age technologies.

The learning and best practices developed through this model ICTAI will be used by NITI Aayog to set up the future ICTAIs across country.

Nivruti Rai, Country Head, Intel India, & Vice President, Data Center Group, said, "Artificial Intelligence is going to be a transformative driver of economic growth and social progress, and Intel’s vision is to drive human-centric AI to benefit humanity in an inclusive manner. In India, through the AI-for-All initiative, we aim to deliver the twin goals of solving hard problems of humanity, and helping India achieve its vision of global AI leader, by bringing together a rich ecosystem of research, innovation, technology development and deployment. We take immense pride in being the Industry lead along with NITI Aayog and TIFR, and I believe the model ICTAI will pave the way for application-based AI research and solutions needed in India for critical domains such as healthcare, agriculture, and smart mobility."

In August 2016, NITI Aayog had entered an another partnership with Intel India to set up as well manage 10 Atal Tinkering Laboratories (ATL) in schools across India. Intel India has been designated with the task of setting up the first 10 of these 500 laboratories, and the labs established by Intel will serve as model laboratories for the remaining 490 ATLs.

Speaking on the partnership for model ICTAI, Director of TIFR, Prof. Sandip Trivedi, said, "This collaboration is a very exciting beginning where we plan to bring fundamental and applied research, innovation and technology development together to solve important problems facing our nation with potentially transformative effects on society. There are also a number of important issues related to ethics, privacy, etc, that AI and related technologies raise which are important to address. TIFR is excited to be in this collaboration; this center will be an important role model for future partnerships between industry, academia and government, which are the need of the hour in our country today."

Source - Press Information Bureau