Empowering India's Tech Future: A Deep Dive into NASSCOM's CoE Journey

MeitY Nasscom CoE, is revolutionizing India's IoT and AI landscape. From empowering startups to spearheading global collaborations, discover the visionary initiatives driving India's technological future.

- Minu Sirsalewala

India is emerging as a powerhouse of innovation in IoT and AI. At the forefront of this transformation is the MeitY Nasscom Centre of Excellence (CoE), a beacon for startups and tech entrepreneurs. Led by Sanjeev Malhotra, CEO- MeitY Nasscom CoE is not just fostering innovation but also reshaping the tech landscape of the nation. In a chat with Minu Sirsalewala, Executive Editor of Dataquest, Malhotra shares the CoE’s remarkable journey, its mission to democratize deep tech and the groundbreaking strides it is making towards a digitally empowered India. Dive in to uncover the strategies, successes, and future aspirations that are setting the stage for India’s ascent as a global tech leader.

Can you walk us through the journey of NASSCOM's Centre of Excellence for loT and Al? What inspired its establishment, and how has it evolved since its inception?

The Centre of Excellence for IoT & AI was established with the goal of catalysing indigenous solution by enabling startups in emerging technology and build a strong and inclusive ecosystem for innovation and entrepreneurship in India. It was launched as part of the Digital India Initiative by MeitY with state governments & Nasscom to jumpstart the IOT and AI ecosystem by using India’s IT capabilities and assisting the country in achieving a leading role in the convergence of hardware and software.

Over these years, the center has successfully enabled development of unique solutions by harnessing the innovative character of the startup ecosystem and helped in the adoption of these solutions with corporate. This initiative has expanded to four strategic locations including Bangalore, Gandhinagar, Vizag, and Gurugram and have emerged as a pivotal resource for entrepreneurs navigating the realm of emerging technologies. Many startups who have been nurtured that are across various sectors, with a particular emphasis on manufacturing, healthcare and enterprises.