Sohini Bagchi February 13, 2023
Tamil Nadu’s Aarupadai Veedu Institute of Technology (AVIT) has partnered with NEC Corporation India, a wholly owned subsidiary of NEC Corporation, and Intel Technology India to set up a dedicated artificial intelligence/machine learning (AI/ML) and high-performance computing laboratory (HPC) laboratory on its campus. The aim of the cooperation is to further train AVIT students with the technological infrastructure required for their studies and project work for job-oriented, practice-oriented training and research institutions.
“With the establishment of the NEC Vector Engine (VE) systems-driven laboratory, NEC India aims to help students create solutions and stay at the forefront of new and emerging technologies,” NEC India said in a statement.
“The joint training program will produce skilled workers suitable for industry. Students learn solid technological concepts, cutting-edge software and hardware solutions, and subject matter expertise,” said Deepak Jha, General Manager and Head of Artificial Intelligence Platform at NEC India.
AVIT, a Vinayaka Mission Research Foundation institution with university status, will initially enroll 250 students in the NEC-Intel Unnati Certification program. According to a senior spokesman for the institute, the certification program offered by Intel and NEC in Engineering and Technology & Arts and Science will help students improve their employability and foster entrepreneurship as they complete their four-year undergraduate degree.
India will need 30 million digitally skilled professionals by 2026, according to a report by staffing firm Teamlease published on Feb. 6. Big data analytics, Internet of Things (IoT) and cloud computing to bridge the digital skills gap. It also said that over 2 million jobs in AI/ML, cybersecurity and blockchain are expected to remain unfilled over the next 12 months.
On February 1, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced at Union Budget 2023 that India will set up three Centers of Excellence (COE) in AI at leading educational institutions to develop innovative AI solutions in the country.
According to Jha, the Union budget, with its focus on AI development in India for India, industry-academia partnerships and upskilling of young people, has strengthened our commitment to sharing knowledge and skills with future tech aspirants. “With this MOU, we look forward to making youth independent of new technologies,” he added.
