Microsoft launches AI digital labs in India, to train 1.5 lakh students

As part of the three-year programme, Microsoft will support select institutions with infrastructure, curriculum and content, access to cloud and Artificial Intelligence (AI) services as well as developer support, the company said in a statement.

Tech giant Microsoft on Thursday said it will launch AI digital labs in the country in collaboration with 10 higher educational institutions, including Birla Institute of Technology and Science, Pilani and Indian school of Business.

As part of the three-year programme, Microsoft will support select institutions with infrastructure, curriculum and content, access to cloud and Artificial Intelligence (AI) services as well as developer support, the company said in a statement.

This collaboration with colleges and universities will ramp up institutional setup along with educator capability, and provide relevant educational choices for students, helping them acquire the required skills, it added.

"As AI becomes mainstream, organisations will require talent with skill sets that are very different from what exist now. Educators and institutions are integral to the skilling revolution taking root in the country," Microsoft India president Anant Maheshwari said.

With the right technology infrastructure, curriculum and training, students can be empowered to build the India of tomorrow, he added.

The institutes covered under this program include BITS Pilani, BML Munjal University, ISB, Kalpataru Institute of Technology, KL University, Periyar University, Karunya University, SRM Institute of Science and Technology, SVKM (NMIMS) and Trident Academy of Technology.

Training programmes for faculty will include workshops on cloud computing, data sciences, AI and internet of things.

Additionally, the faculty of the institutions will get assistance in strategising content and curricula for project-based and experiential learning, the statement said.

Photograph: Rickey Rogers/Reuters