IBM, the Department of Science and Technology, Government of Gujarat, and the Indian AI Research Organization (IAIRO) announced their intent to establish an Industrial Artificial Intelligence Centre of Excellence (Industrial AI CoE) in Gujarat. Industrial Artificial Intelligence (AI) is the application of AI technologies across asset-intensive sectors such as manufacturing, energy, utilities and supply chains to enhance efficiency, safety, resilience, and quality within real-world constraints. The Industrial AI CoE aims to serve as a hub for Industrial AI innovation, skilling, and ecosystem development, supporting Gujarat’s vision of becoming a leading destination for Industrial AI leveraging sovereign AI technologies.
The Industrial AI CoE, will serve as a Living Lab, envisioned to drive technology innovation, demonstrations, and pilot programs to enable creation and adoption of industrial applications of Artificial Intelligence that leverage and advance sovereign AI technologies. The initiative also aims to facilitate knowledge exchange across the AI ecosystem through workshops, conferences, technical sessions and stakeholder engagements, fostering collaboration between industry, academia and government.
Additionally, the CoE will promote skill development and capacity building through academic partnerships, research initiatives, hackathons, and training programs in emerging AI technologies. It is further intended to serve as a focal point for collaboration on the development of AI frameworks, reference architectures, standards, and best practices to enable responsible and scalable AI adoption. The initiative will encourage innovation and applied research to strengthen Gujarat’s AI ecosystem and accelerate the adoption of Industrial AI solutions.
As part of the collaboration, IBM and IAIRO intend to serve as technical and strategic advisors to the Government of Gujarat, providing expertise in Industrial AI technologies, sovereign AI technologies, asset management platforms and related best practices to scale AI adoption in the industry sector.
Dr. Amit Sheth, Founding Director, Indian AI Research Organisation said, “The next generation of industrial systems will require AI that combines learning with domain knowledge, human expertise, and trust. Translating these capabilities into real-world impact requires an ecosystem where research, policy, and enterprise innovation evolve together, and Gujarat’s industrial leadership provides a strong foundation for that transformation. This initiative will help advance indigenous innovation, nurture world-class talent, and translate frontier research into real-world impact, strengthening India’s leadership in trustworthy Industrial AI in collaboration with the Government of Gujarat and IBM.”
Sandip Patel, Managing Director, IBM India and South Asia said, “Industrial AI is rapidly emerging as a strategic imperative for organizations aiming to enhance operational resilience and unlock new productivity gains. Realizing this opportunity requires not only advanced AI models, but also access to real-time and historical data, enterprise-ready platforms, governance, and ecosystem partnerships. We look forward to collaborating with the Government of Gujarat and IAIRO to help create a platform that fosters innovation, develops skills, and accelerates the adoption of sovereign AI technologies.”
According to the recently released IBM IBV India AI study, 60% of the executives already identify manufacturing and industrial development as India’s largest growth opportunity by 2030. Connecting suppliers, buyers, regulators and innovators through shared AI platforms built on hybrid cloud architecture, can push this to new levels of global competitiveness. With Gujarat contributing nearly 16% of the country’s industrial production, the state is uniquely positioned to lead this transformation.
The proposed collaboration reflects a shared commitment to advancing Industrial AI innovation in India and creating a collaborative ecosystem that enables research, skilling, and practical AI applications across industries.
