Vedanta Aluminium, India’s largest aluminium producer, in collaboration with V-Spark, India’s manufacturing deep tech incubator, recently hosted MetALverse, an immersive technology showcase in Jharsuguda, Odisha. The company also announced partnerships with several technology providers, including global leaders such as OpenAI, Microsoft and SAP, to accelerate the adoption of artificial intelligence (AI), digitalisation and automation technologies across its operations.

The collaborations are expected to unlock up to Rs 21 billion in value through the deployment of multi-pronged solutions aimed at enhancing plant productivity, optimising costs, improving asset reliability and supporting sustainability initiatives across Vedanta Aluminium’s integrated value chain.

MetALverse was envisioned as a strategic platform to accelerate the deployment of breakthrough technologies across large-scale industrial operations by bringing together global technology companies, emerging startups and industry experts. The partnerships will focus on evaluating, piloting and scaling next-generation solutions to strengthen operational efficiency and create measurable business value.

The initiative reflects the shared vision of Vedanta Aluminium and V-Spark to bridge the gap between deep tech innovation and real-world industrial deployment. By using its manufacturing facilities as large-scale incubation environments, Vedanta Aluminium aims to validate emerging technologies in live operating conditions and accelerate their transition into industry-ready solutions.

Vedanta Aluminium has established an integrated value chain spanning mining, alumina refining and aluminium production. Through V-Spark, the company aims to build an AI-led manufacturing ecosystem by leveraging its large-scale plants, including some of the world’s largest aluminium and alumina facilities, for technology testing and deployment.

Priya Agarwal Hebbar, Non-Executive Director, Vedanta Limited and Chairperson, Hindustan Zinc, said, “India’s manufacturing sector is entering a defining decade. The future will belong to companies that combine scale with intelligence, sustainability and the courage to rethink what is possible. At Vedanta Aluminium, we see AI as a catalyst for that transformation, with human intelligence providing the judgement and direction behind it. We are bringing together the best minds across industry and technology because we don’t want to simply make today’s plants better. We want to build the metal of the future, using the technologies of the future.”

Akarsh Hebbar, Non-Executive Vice Chairman, Vedanta Aluminium and Chairman, V-Spark DeepTech Ventures, said, “The greatest opportunity in industrial innovation lies in deploying new technologies at scale to create measurable business value. Vedanta Aluminium, as one of the top producers of the metal of the future globally, provides the expansive operating footprint, technical depth and determination to industrialise breakthrough solutions, while V-Spark is the engine that identifies, validates and accelerates these technologies from concept to enterprise-wide deployment.”

The technology collaborations announced at MetALverse include OpenAI for generative AI and intelligent agents; Microsoft for cloud, AI and enterprise transformation; SAP for integrated enterprise processes; AVEVA for industrial data, digital twins and advanced analytics; Rockwell Automation for smart manufacturing and control systems; Thoughtworks for digital engineering; and Fives for aluminium process technologies and carbon plant optimisation.

Vedanta Aluminium has also partnered with deep-tech innovators including Ripik.AI for industrial vision and process optimisation; XYMA for high-temperature asset monitoring; Faclon for industrial intelligence and connected manufacturing; DesignX for AI-enabled factory workflows; DigitalPaani for industrial water optimisation; AutoVRse for immersive workforce training; Enmovil for AI-led logistics; and ideaForge for drone-based industrial intelligence.

These collaborations will focus on technology evaluation, data integration, pilot deployment and scale-up opportunities. Through its V-Spark innovation ecosystem, Vedanta Aluminium aims to deploy solutions that improve productivity, safety, sustainability, asset reliability and operational decision-making.

Currently, Vedanta Aluminium is collaborating with nearly 70 startups under the programme across its major facilities, including one of the world’s largest alumina refineries in Lanjigarh, Odisha, the world’s largest single-location aluminium plant in Jharsuguda, Odisha, and BALCO in Korba, Chhattisgarh. The company aims to transform emerging technologies into scalable solutions that support the future of industrial manufacturing.