NITI Aayog, ABB India to partner in next-gen technologies

The National Institution for Transforming India, or the NITI Aayog, a policy think tank of the Government of India, has signed a statement of intent (SoI) with the Indian unit of ABB, a Swedish-Swiss engineering giant  to augment artificial intelligence (AI), big data and connectivity solutions across sectors in India. Under the arrangement, ABB India will collaborate with the Government to realise the targets of “Make in India” through advanced manufacturing technologies that incorporate the latest innovations in robotics and AI. The agreement was signed in the presence of Amitabh Kant, chief executive of NITI Aayog, and Ulrich Spiesshofer, chief executive of ABB. The partnership will cover various sectors of the economy, including energy, water, food, heavy industries, transportation and infrastructure, among others, to suggest solutions for digitalisation, incorporating Internet of Things (IoT) and AI technologies. The initiative will also cover the fast growing segment of electric mobility.

NITI Aayog and ABB will work with different government ministries, solicit feedback for areas critical to them and discuss solutions using industrial automation, and digitalisation technologies. Mr Kant said, “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. Through this collaboration, which will include cross-sectoral understanding of digitalisation 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 centre for advanced manufacturing.” NITI Aayog will facilitate participation of policymakers and government functionaries in workshops and training programs held by ABB India. Such programs will feature subject matter experts and will aim to sensitise participants about AI capabilities and explore ways to incorporate them in augmenting productivity.

The first workshop for senior government officials, under this collaboration, would be organised in June, 2018 at ABB Ability Innovation Centre in Bengaluru. It will focus on digital and automation technologies in food processing sector. Senior officials from the Central, State Governments and autonomous bodies will be nominated for this workshop. Similar workshops will be organised for other sectors such as power, urban development and transport in future. NITI Aayog and all stakeholders will be trained with ABB Ability, the company’s comprehensive digital portfolio of solutions that deliver value of industrial digitalization to utilities, industries and transportation and infrastructure. Based on the interactions with ABB India, NITI Aayog will make recommendations to government ministries for guidelines and policies regarding development and adoption of AI technology in sectors such as utilities, manufacturing, e-mobility and infrastructure, with automation and digitalization as the backbone.

At the deal signing, Mr Spiesshofer said, “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.” NITI Aayog, in collaboration with ABB, will publish a report on policy recommendations based on the feedback received in the workshops, by December this year. As the company’s biggest research and development center in the world, the ABB Ability Innovation Centre in Bengaluru develops technologies in areas such as AI, cyber security, automation engineering, data analytics, augmented and virtual reality and industrial software.