IIT Bombay, Columbia University sign pact to establish centre of AI for manufacturing

Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay on Thursday said it has inked an agreement with the US-based Columbia University to establish a centre of artificial intelligence (AI) for manufacturing. This is a joint research and translation centre aimed at building robust, scalable and human-centric AI systems for real-world manufacturing, IIT Bombay said in a statement. The Ministry of Education has initiated four different AI centres so far. ''The Columbia-IIT Bombay Centre of AI for Manufacturing is a significant step in strengthening India's manufacturing ecosystem through advanced, human-centric AI. By building open and interoperable industrial AI infrastructure, this initiative will support industry modernisation, empower MSMEs, nurture startups, and develop future-ready talent,'' IIT Bombay director Prof Shireesh Kedare said. This partnership reflects our commitment to nation building - positioning India as a global leader in AI-driven manufacturing innovation, he added. This new centre aims to address all areas of manufacturing including semiconductors, robotics, industrial manufacturing, process industries including pharmaceuticals, food processing, refining and petrochemical, construction and infrastructure development as well as transport and logistics. Leveraging complementary strengths of Columbia University and IIT Bombay in various domains, such as foundational AI, optimisation, manufacturing and process engineering, this centre will develop end-to-end, interoperable industrial AI infrastructure that addresses shop-floor realities such as legacy equipment, noisy data, real-time constraints and multilingual workforces, the statement said. Through close engagement with industry partners, this centre will deliver applied research, customised solutions, talent development and startup translation, while releasing foundational datasets, models and interfaces as public goods to strengthen India's varied manufacturing ecosystem, including MSMEs, it added.