As the conversation around AI for Bharat increased in 2024, the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) continued to solidify their position to make an impact using generative AI for the country.
From collaborations with industry giants like AMD, TCS, and Lightstorm to indigenous innovations such as IndicVoices and MedSumm, IITs showcased a remarkable blend of research, innovation, and real-world application.
These initiatives spanned a wide spectrum, including advancements in quantum imaging, semiconductor efficiency, multilingual AI capabilities, and Indic models and upskilling. These milestones reflect not just the technological prowess of IITs but their commitment to solving India’s pressing challenges through AI.
IIT Bombay’s MoU with Samsung R&D Institute
IIT Bombay collaborated with Samsung R&D to drive AI advancements and innovation in digital health and other key areas. The five-year partnership enables joint research projects, offering IIT Bombay students and faculty the chance to work closely with Samsung engineers. This collaboration fosters industry readiness among students while providing Samsung engineers with training and certification in cutting-edge technologies like AI and digital health.
Centre for Human-Centric AI at IIT Madras
The IIT Madras Pravartak Technologies Foundation launched the ‘Centre for Human-Centric Artificial Intelligence’ (CHAI), aiming to amplify human potential through AI. The Centre focuses on technology development, entrepreneurship, human resource enhancement, and fostering international collaborations, presenting a critical opportunity for India to lead in human-centric AI innovation.
AMD Partnered with IIT Bombay to Boost Semiconductor Startups
AMD partnered with the Society for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (SINE) at IIT Bombay to support semiconductor startups in India. As part of this collaboration, AMD provided grants to IIT Bombay-incubated startups working on energy-efficient Spiking Neural Network (SNN) chips. These startups focused on significantly reducing the energy consumption of conventional neural networks.
TCS Collaborated with IIT Bombay to Develop Quantum Diamond Microchip Imager
Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) formed a strategic partnership with IIT Bombay to create India’s first Quantum Diamond Microchip Imager. This advanced sensing tool aimed to enhance semiconductor chip precision, reduce failures, and improve the energy efficiency of electronic devices.
Over two years, TCS experts worked with Dr. Kasturi Saha, Associate Professor in IIT Bombay’s Department of Electrical Engineering, to develop the quantum imaging platform at the PQuest Lab. This platform promised better quality control for semiconductor chips, enhancing reliability and efficiency across industries.
Lightstorm and IIT Madras Launched Employment Skilling Initiative
Lightstorm, a leading connectivity infrastructure provider, signed an MoU with IIT Madras to launch an “Employment Skilling Initiative.” The program aimed to bridge skill gaps among underprivileged students and support youth, women, and job seekers from tier-2 and tier-3 cities.
In collaboration with IIT Madras’ Technology Innovation Hub, Lightstorm offered placement assistance for Arts, Science, and Commerce students, with high achievers securing internships. Dr. Mangala Sunder Krishnan, Professor Emeritus at IIT Madras, commended the initiative for promoting quality education and inclusive economic growth.
Sarvam AI and IIT Madras Released IndicVoices Dataset
Sarvam AI, AI4Bharat, and IIT Madras unveiled IndicVoices, a speech dataset encompassing 7,348 hours of natural and spontaneous speech from 16,237 speakers across 145 Indian districts and 22 languages. This diverse dataset included read (9%), extempore (74%), and conversational (17%) audio segments, with 1,639 hours already transcribed.
Using IndicVoices, they developed IndicASR, the first Automatic Speech Recognition (ASR) model supporting all 22 languages listed in the 8th Schedule of the Indian Constitution. Funded by BHASHINI (MeitY) and supported by grants from Nilekani Philanthropies and EkStep Foundation, the project set a global benchmark for multilingual data collection. All data, tools, and models were made publicly available.
IIT Patna Researchers Introduced MedSumm Framework
Researchers from IIT Patna presented MedSumm, a multimodal approach integrating Hindi-English codemixed medical queries with visual aids to enhance healthcare understanding. The MMCQS dataset, part of this work, included 3,015 multimodal medical queries with golden summaries in English, combining visual and textual data.
Meta’s Launch of Srijan and YuvAI at IIT Jodhpur
IIT Jodhpur’s “Srijan,” a pioneering Center for Generative AI developed with Meta and IndiaAI, has bolstered India’s AI ecosystem. Paired with the “YuvAI Initiative for Skilling and Capacity Building” in partnership with AICTE, these initiatives emphasise open-source AI, skill development, and research. Together, they aim to nurture talent capable of addressing national challenges through generative AI.
IAF-IIT Delhi Partnership
The Indian Air Force (IAF) and IIT Delhi joined forces through a MoU to innovate in aviation textiles. This collaboration focuses on obsolescence management, self-reliance, upgradation, and digitisation within aviation-grade textiles, promoting indigenisation and cutting-edge research.
NHA and IIT Kanpur’s Healthcare AI Initiative
IIT Kanpur and the National Health Authority (NHA) signed an MoU to advance AI-driven digital public goods for healthcare under the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM). This partnership includes developing a federated learning platform, open benchmarking tools for AI models, and a secure consent management system aiming to revolutionize India’s healthcare landscape.
Online AI Courses for School Students by IIT Madras
IIT Madras introduced two online certificate courses in data science, AI, and electronic systems for students in classes 11 and 12 as part of the IITM School Connect programme. These courses offer hands-on career exposure and prepare young learners for future opportunities in AI and technology.
IIT Delhi’s MoU with Honda on Cooperative Intelligence
IIT Delhi partnered with Honda Cars India Limited (HCIL) to advance Cooperative Intelligence (CI), an AI framework that enables seamless interaction between machines and humans. This collaboration focuses on enhancing mutual understanding through environmental awareness, scene recognition, and intent analysis to improve future mobility solutions.
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