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

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'.

As per the statement issued by the company, the initiative will be through collaboration on 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.

Commenting on the partnership, NITI Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant said the government is looking forward to learn 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 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 center for advanced manufacturing,” said Amitabh Kant.

As per the SoI, NITI Aayog will facilitate policymakers and government functionaries’ participation in workshops and training programs organised by ABB India.

Such programs will feature subject matter experts and will aim to sensitize policymakers and government officials about relevant AI capabilities, and explore ways they can be used for revolutionizing manufacturing productivity.

ABB CEO Ulrich Spiesshofer said the company is 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, AI, 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’,” said Spiesshofer.

He also pointed out that ABB is present in India more than a hundred years and its pioneering technology leadership in industrial digitalisation position the company to support India in its ambitions for the next phase of its transformation.

The programme also envisages a workshop for senior government officials and it would be organised in June, 2018, at the ABB Ability Innovation Center in Bengaluru. The workshop will focus on digital and automation technologies in the Indian food processing 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 & 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.

In addition, workshops will be held at ABB Power Technology Experience Centre (ABB PowerTEC), Vadodara, and it will focuss on power engineering, grid automation and digitalisation.

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, eMobility and infrastructure, with industrial automation and digitalisation as the backbone.