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

ABB and NITI Aayog will make key sectors of Indian economy ready for a digitalised future and realise the potential of AI, big data and connectivity. The National Institution for Transforming India (NITI Aayog), the think tank of the Indian Government, and ABB India have signed a Statement of Intent (SoI) to support the Indian Government realise its ambitious 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 digitalisation, 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 digitalisation 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 centres, 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 centre for advanced manufacturing,” said Amitabh Kant, CEO, NITI Aayog.   Through this SoI, NITI Aayog will facilitate policy-makers and government functionaries’ participation in workshops and training programmes organised by ABB India. Such programmes will feature subject matter experts and will aim to sensitise policy-makers and government officials about relevant AI capabilities, and explore ways they can be used for revolutionising 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 digitalisation, artificial intelligence, robotics, and industrial automation. We look forward to working with key stakeholders in the Indian Government, and supporting key initiatives of the Prime Minister such as Make in India,” said Dr Ulrich Spiesshofer, CEO, ABB. “ABB’s more than a 100-years’ presence in India and our pioneering technology leadership in industrial digitalisation 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 Centre 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 organised 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 digitalisation to utilities, industries and transportation and 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 programmes will be held at ABB Ability Innovation Centre (ABB AIC). As the company’s biggest research and development centre 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, among India’s leading technology and knowledge training institute, which focusses on power engineering, grid automation and digitalisation. 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 and water utilities, manufacturing, e-mobility and infrastructure, with industrial automation and digitalization as the backbone.