IIT Hyderabad to collaborate with Telangana government on AI Research

Hyderabad: Telangana government announced 2020 to be the ‘Year of Artificial Intelligence’ to encourage its use in various sectors ranging from urban transport and healthcare to agriculture.

Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Hyderabad is going to collaborate with the state government for AI research. The institute will also support Telangana in developing an AI and High-Performance Computing technology plan for the government’s various needs. IIT-H is working with Telangana Department of Information Technology, Electronics and Communication (ITE&C) to identify and build quality datasets with third parties like the industry. They will also work on education and training to prepare/deliver content and curriculum on AI courses to be offered to college students along with industry participants.

Professor BS Murty, Director of IIT Hyderabad, and Principal Secretary of IT Jayesh Ranjan signed the MoU during an event that took place today as part of the initiative ‘2020: Declaring the Year of AI of Telangana’. During which, the Telangana government also signed several other MoUs with other organisations.

Stressing the importance of this collaboration, Professor Murty said, “IIT Hyderabad is a pioneer in the field of Artificial Intelligence, being the first institute in the country to launch a BTech programme in AI. With a strong base of close to 25 faculties in the Department of AI, IIT Hyderabad is looking forward to such opportunities to come up with many more innovations and research achievements in the field.”

Dr Vineeth N Balasubramanian, Head of Artificial Intelligence Department of IIT Hyderabad, emphasised the features of this collaboration. He said, “This collaboration provides us with a unique opportunity to leverage our combined experience and expertise in AI at IIT-H for local social good, along with the state government. Having the government as a partner will allow us an ideal interface to work with industry leaders, start-ups, and colleges in research and training in AI.”

As a part of this collaboration, the ITE&C Department seeks to develop the industry’s ecosystem and leverage emerging technologies to improve service delivery. The department’s mission is to harness IT not only for effective and efficient governance but also for sustainable economic and social development. The goal is to promote collaborative and creative IT solutions and plan for future growth while at the same time protecting and improving the quality of life.