The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), Coimbatore, held a press meet today (13th October 2025) at its office in Sungam, Coimbatore, to announce the upcoming 23rd edition of CII Connect.
During the press meet, Mahalingam Ramasamy and Aruna Thangaraj, members of the Steering Committee – CII Connect 2025, announced that the event is scheduled to be held on 16 and 17 October 2025 in Coimbatore, under the theme ‘Transformation into the Next Era of Intelligence’.
Palanivel Thiaga Rajan, Minister for Information Technology and Digital Services, Government of Tamil Nadu, will be the Chief Guest at the event.
CII Connect is a conference that bridges the present and future of technology, bringing together stakeholders from across the entire value chain of the ICT sector.
The event will focus on several key topics, including:
- Gearing up for the AI Era: Transformation Starts Now
- Industrial Intelligence: Mapping the AI-Driven Manufacturing Revolution
- Business Transformation in the Age of AI
- Beyond Metros: Taking AI to the Heart of India
- Reskilling at the Speed of AI: Preparing for What’s Next
- From Idea to Impact: Catalysing AI Startups in Tamil Nadu
In addition to Palanivel Thiaga Rajan, several senior government officials will also attend, including Krishnan, Secretary, Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, Government of India; Arvind Kumar, Director General, Software Technology Parks of India; Mahadesha, Director, STPI (Chennai); Brajendra Navnit, Principal Secretary to Government, IT & Digital Services, Government of Tamil Nadu; and Srikanth, CEO, ICT Academy.
The two-day event will feature a leadership talk by Ram Charan, the globally renowned business consultant, author, speaker, and coach.
Spotlight sessions by Amazon Web Services and Google India, along with leading speakers from companies such as TCS, Capgemini, Infosys, Zoho, ELGI Equipments, Bosch, BCG, KPMG, and others, will enrich the discussions.
CII Connect has consistently showcased the vast potential of Tamil Nadu’s ICT, FinTech, and SaaS sectors, and has driven landmark initiatives such as the development of IT Corridors, the ICT Academy, Specialised and Neo-TIDEL Parks in Tier II and III cities, the Aero Park, the MRO Hub, and the IT Consortium for Skill Development.
These initiatives have generated millions of job opportunities and strengthened Tamil Nadu’s position as one of India’s most preferred ICT destinations.
CII Connect 2025 will feature more than 40 distinguished speakers and is expected to bring together over 400 delegates for two days of insight, innovation, and collaboration.
The event will also include the presentation of the prestigious CONNECT Awards 2025 and the launch of the CII–ICT AI Academy by the Chief Guest. The academy aims to upskill faculty and prepare them for the future of AI-driven education and industry requirements.
