In a move aimed at strengthening India’s artificial intelligence capabilities, the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay has signed an agreement with US-based Columbia University to set up a dedicated centre for AI in manufacturing. The initiative was formalised on Thursday.
The joint research and translation centre has been initiated by the Union Education Ministry. Its focus will be on developing robust, scalable, and human-centric AI systems designed for real-world manufacturing needs. People familiar with the development said several industry partners are already in the process of joining the centre.
The upcoming facility will cover a wide range of manufacturing domains. These include semiconductors, robotics, industrial manufacturing, and process industries such as pharmaceuticals, food processing, refining, and petrochemicals. The scope will also extend to construction, infrastructure development, transport, and logistics.
This will be the 5th AI centre supported by the ministry. Earlier initiatives include the Translational AI for Networked Universal Healthcare Foundation at IISc, the IIT Madras Bodhan AI Foundation for education, and dedicated AI centres for sustainable cities and agriculture at IIT Kanpur and IIT Ropar.
Commenting on the partnership, IIT Bombay Director Prof Shireesh Kedare said the collaboration reflects the institute’s focus on nation-building and global leadership in AI-led manufacturing. “By building open and interoperable industrial AI infrastructure, this initiative will support industry modernisation, empower MSMEs, nurture start-ups and develop future-ready talent,” he said.
The centre will leverage the combined strengths of IIT Bombay and Columbia University across foundational AI, optimisation, manufacturing, and process engineering. The aim is to develop end-to-end and interoperable industrial AI infrastructure.
“This will address shop-floor realities such as legacy equipment, noisy data, real-time constraints and multilingual workforces,” IIT Bombay said.
Officials added that close engagement with industry partners will be central to the centre’s work. The initiative will focus on applied research, customised industry solutions, talent development, and start-up translation. It will also release foundational datasets, models, and interfaces as public goods to support India’s diverse manufacturing ecosystem, including MSMEs.
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