Business tycoon Gautam Adani on Sunday opened the Sharadchandra Pawar Centre of Excellence in Artificial Intelligence located in the state of Maharashtra’s district of Pune, an important milestone in bolstering AI development capabilities within India. The Centre comes under the umbrella organisation Vidya Pratishthan, an educational organisation with roots within the Pawar family, funded by the Adani Group.
The inaugural session saw the presence of major political leaders such as the NCP (SP) President Sharad Pawar, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, the member of parliament from the Baramati constituency Supriya Sule, member of parliament in the Rajya Sabha Sunetra Pawar, and others from the Pawar family. The session reflected the coming together of the industry, educational, and government sectors to accelerate new technologies such as artificial intelligence.
Inaugurating the event, Gautam Adani spoke about the role of artificial intelligence in shaping the future of India and encouraged young students to be innovators and technologists. He also spoke about the purpose of establishing a new centre for AI, such as talent nurturing, advanced research, and efforts for a practical application of AI for the development of the nation.
As reported, the Centre of Excellence will concentrate on research and development in the fields of machine learning, data analytics, automation, and the use of artificial intelligence solutions in agriculture, healthcare, education, governance, and industries, among others. It is expected to give students and researchers exposure to state-of-the art infrastructure, high-performance computing, and industry guidance.
While addressing the event, Sharad Pawar emphasised that it is the need of the day for educational institutions to adapt to the technological change that is imminent in the country. According to Pawar, the next era of development and growth will be categorised by artificial intelligence and digital innovations, and this kind of institution will train students to meet the challenges of tomorrow while helping the country to be the leader in technology worldwide.
Speaking on the occasion, Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra Ajit Pawar said that Baramati has always been known for its educational ventures and that he was glad to see the launch of the AI university in the same area. According to him, this would help to create jobs for the youth.
One of the areas that the Adani Group has emphasised in recent years is education and skills training as a corporate social responsibility intervention, with investments in schools and education platforms in India. The new AI Centre at Baramati will likely work in partnership with higher education institutions, startups, and government bodies to provide effective solutions with AI. Officials from the Vidya Pratishthan group stated that the centre will also conduct training sessions, workshops, and joint projects in order to make Baramati a future knowledge destination in the field of advanced technologies. With the increased focus on the concept of ‘digital transformation’ in the country, this move will further help in making the education sector in the region align with the global trends in the field of technology.
