CII Coimbatore organised the 23rd edition of Connect Coimbatore with the theme “Disruptive Technology Adaption – Call for Action” recently at Coimbatore.
Palanivel Thiyaga Rajan, Minister for Information Technology and Digital Services, Government of Tamil Nadu delivered the Inaugural address. He emphasized creating more inbound employment opportunities for the state’s talents. He pointed out that while Tamil Nadu provides only 11% of the employment in the country’s IT sector, it produces 20% of the total workforce generated in this sector.
With schemes like TN Fiber Net, connectivity has been enhanced to 12,650 villages with 100 Mbps household connectivity. He also mentioned that this has brought more inclusivity, making remote employment more feasible. Adding to inclusivity, he highlighted the need to increase infrastructure and capacity, especially office spaces. He stated that to create SMEs to global standards, strong backing from the government, academic institutions, and organizations like CII is essential.
The structural reforms happening in the state’s IT sector are crucial to emphasize these needs. The government will also make reforms to support sector companies with services like cybersecurity, which can reduce the burden on small companies. He urged companies to focus more on product development rather than just service industries. With the country advancing in producing high-value products in the semiconductor sector, the IT sector should also aim to move up the value chain in product development.
The new Data Centre Policy of 2021, making Ambathur a data centre hub, and the new AI policy with training subsidies are making closer-to-home work environments a possibility. To create more Centres of Excellence in AI and Data Science, Tamil Nadu is poised to become an important technology destination. He mentioned that the new ELCOT building in Coimbatore will be inaugurated by the Chief Minister in two weeks which will create more new job opportunities.
He also mentioned plans for building integrated facilities, which are on the cards and will enable more opportunities.
Naved Narayan, Vice President – Mobility Solutions and Head of the R&D Centre, Bosch Global Software Technologies, Coimbatore mentioned that Coimbatore has witnessed many technological disruptions across various sectors like manufacturing and textiles. Standing strong post these disruptions, Coimbatore knows how to handle technological changes as well. He noted that electrification and battery-swapping technology are not new, having been initiated in the late 1800s and early 1900s. He emphasized that while these technological convergences have led to disruptive products or services, they are not new concepts.
He also highlighted GPUs as a technological convergence of computing and AI over the years and mentioned the impactful research in quantum sensors contributing to this disruption.
Mahalingam Ramaswamy, Convenor, ICT Panel and Managing Director of Netcon Technologies (I) Pvt. Ltd, mentioned that AI is set to become an industry worth 15 trillion dollars by 2030. He also noted that 70% of global companies have already adopted AI. Additionally, he mentioned that 50% of Indian companies have already transitioned to AI and are mainstreaming it in use cases like predictive analysis and seismic shift.
Radhakrishnan, Chairman, CII Coimbatore Zone and Managing Director of Sieger Spintech Equipment Pvt Ltd, mentioned Coimbatore as a strong IT-enabling service environment. He thanked the Honourable Minister for his active participation in CII events and appreciated the state government for their initiatives in turning Coimbatore into an ICT hub. He also praised Connect Coimbatore for being a game changer in the IT ecosystem of the region.
Dhanasekhar, Co-Convenor, ICT Panel, CII Coimbatore and Senior Vice President of KGISL, made a closing remark by thanking all the guest speakers and especially mentioning the Honourable Minister for his valuable time and remarks. He also emphasized the importance of technology adoption in core industries for a sustainable future.
The conference featured insightful sessions such as Redefining Customer Experience through Technology Transformation, Accelerating Process Innovation, Reimagining Business in the Era of Disruptive Technologies and AI Adoption – opportunities and challenges engaging discussion on the future of technology in business.
Eminent speakers from HCL Tech, IBM Consulting, Nokia, Sundaram Clayton, Hewlett Packard Enterprise were addressed at the conference. Over 300 delegates participated in the conference.
