NITI Aayog, ABB India partner to make India AI-Ready

New Delhi: The National Institution for Transforming India (NITI Aayog) and ABB India have signed a Statement of Intent (SoI) to support the government's vision of “Make in India” through advanced manufacturing technologies that incorporate the latest developments in robotics and artificial intelligence.

NITI Aayog will work with ABB to prepare key sectors of the economy, such as the power and water utilities sector, industries like food as well as the heavy industries sector; and the transport (rail and metro) and infrastructure sectors for digitalization, the Internet of Things (IoT) and Artificial Intelligence (AI). The initiative also covers the fast growing segment of electric mobility. Jointly, NITI Aayog and ABB will work with government ministries, solicit feedback for areas critical to them and discuss solutions using industrial automation, and digitalization technologies.

“We are looking forward to learning more about practical applications of future technologies such as AI and IoT, especially in streamlining governance and economic systems. This collaboration, which will include cross-sectoral understanding of digitalization at ABB’s world class centers, will be key in driving progress of key sectors in India. This collaboration is meant to lead to actionable insights and focused plans that will help India become a center for advanced manufacturing,” said Amitabh Kant, CEO of NITI Aayog.

Through this SoI, NITI Aayog will facilitate policymakers and government functionaries’ participation in workshops and training programs organized by ABB India. Such programs will feature subject matter experts and will aim to sensitize policymakers and government officials about relevant AI capabilities, and explore ways they can be used for revolutionizing manufacturing productivity.

“We are excited to partner with NITI Aayog and develop ways for key areas of India’s economy to benefit from and implement the latest technologies in digitalization, artificial intelligence, robotics, and industrial automation. We look forward to working with key stakeholders in the Indian government, and supporting key initiatives of Prime Minister Modi such as ‘Make in India’,” said Dr. Ulrich Spiesshofer, CEO of ABB. “ABB’s more than a hundred years’ presence in India and our pioneering technology leadership in industrial digitalization position us well to support India in its ambitions for the next phase of its transformation.”

The first workshop for senior government officials, under this collaboration, would be organised in June, 2018, at the ABB Ability Innovation Center in Bengaluru. Given the importance of the Indian food processing sector, the workshop will focus on digital and automation technologies for this sector.  Senior officials from the Central and State Governments as well as autonomous bodies will be nominated for this workshop. Similar workshops will be organized for other sectors such as power, urban development and transport in the near future.

NITI Aayog and all stakeholders will experience hands-on experience of ABB Ability, the company’s comprehensive digital portfolio of solutions that deliver value of industrial digitalization to utilities, industries and transportation & infrastructure. ABB Ability integrates all of ABB’s services and domain expertise to turn data into analytic insights and direct action to drive competitiveness of Indian and global customers.

The workshops and training programs will be held at ABB Ability Innovation Center (ABB AIC). As the company’s biggest research and development center in the world, located in Bengaluru, it develops technologies in areas such as AI, cyber security, automation engineering, data analytics, augmented and virtual reality and industrial software. ABB AIC also collaborates with premier academic institutes to pool expertise and funnel synergies for the benefit of society.

In addition, workshops will be held at ABB Power Technology Experience Centre (ABB PowerTEC), Vadodara, India’s leading technology and knowledge training institute, which focusses on power engineering, grid automation and digitalization. Both facilities integrate best-in-class technologies and in-depth technical knowledge.

Based on the interactions with ABB India, NITI Aayog will also make recommendations to government ministries for guidelines and policies regarding development and adoption of AI technology in sectors such as power & water utilities, manufacturing, eMobility and infrastructure, with industrial automation and digitalization as the backbone.