New Delhi: In a significant step toward strengthening India’s technology and industrial ecosystem, the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay and Columbia University, USA, have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to establish an Artificial Intelligence (AI) Centre focused on manufacturing. The MoU was formally exchanged in the presence of Union Education Minister Shri Dharmendra Pradhan.
The event, held at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi, was attended by Minister of State for Education Dr. Sukanta Majumdar, Higher Education Secretary Dr. Vineet Joshi, School Education and Literacy Secretary Shri Sanjay Kumar, and Secretary of the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), Shri S. Krishnan. The delegations from both institutions were led by IIT Bombay Director Prof. Shireesh Kedare and Columbia University’s Senior Vice Provost Prof. Soulaymane Kachani.
The proposed AI Centre will address a wide spectrum of manufacturing sectors, including semiconductors, robotics, industrial manufacturing, pharmaceuticals, process industries, food processing, refining and petrochemicals, construction and infrastructure, as well as transportation and logistics. The initiative is expected to foster cutting-edge research, innovation, and technology-driven solutions while strengthening industry-academia collaboration and enhancing the global competitiveness of India’s manufacturing ecosystem.