Ashwini Vaishnaw Urges IT Industry to Adopt AI as a Service at Hyderabad Meet
On Saturday, Union IT, Electronics and Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw urged the Indian IT industry to transition from software services to an "AI as a Service" model during an industry townhall in Hyderabad. Speaking at the event organized by the Hyderabad Software Enterprises Association (HYSEA), Vaishnaw highlighted that Hyderabad is poised to play a central role in India's next phase of technology-led growth under the Viksit Bharat 2047 vision.
The closed-door meeting was also attended by Union Coal and Mines Minister G Kishan Reddy and Telangana BJP chief N Ramchander Rao. Vaishnaw emphasized that rapid advancements in artificial intelligence are reshaping the IT industry, creating fresh capabilities and business opportunities every few weeks.
According to the minister, Hyderabad is already making significant contributions to emerging sectors, including semiconductors, AI, Kavach technology, VFX, and digital innovation. He noted that the transition to AI-led services would require sustained collaboration between the industry, academia, and the government.
To support this shift, Vaishnaw shared that NASSCOM, in collaboration with the government, has prepared an AI curriculum. This curriculum has been shared with the Ministry of Education and the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) to expose students to the latest developments in the field.
Vaishnaw also highlighted India's progress in the semiconductor sector, noting that 12 semiconductor plants are currently at various stages of development. Three of these plants have already commenced manufacturing chips for export to Japan, Europe, and domestic markets. Additionally, advanced semiconductor design tools have been provided to 315 universities to cultivate talent in chip design.
On electronics manufacturing, the minister reported that the sector has crossed Rs 13 lakh crore and is expected to reach Rs 20 lakh crore soon. In Telangana, the central government has supported 104 electronics manufacturing companies, four electronics manufacturing clusters, and a common facility centre for testing and prototyping.
Union Minister G Kishan Reddy also spoke at the event, stating that technological and economic growth should extend beyond Hyderabad to tier-II cities in Telangana, such as Warangal and Karimnagar.
