Wadhwani School of Data Science and AI to be established at IIT Madras with a Rs 110 crore endowment from alumnus

NEW DELHI: Sunil Wadhwani, co-founder of the iGate Corporation and IIT Madras graduate, has endowed the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT Madras) with an amount of Rs 110 crore, the institute said today. The Wadhwani School of Data Science and AI will be established with the help of these grants.

In front of staff, students, alumni, and researchers, Sunil Wadhwani and V Kamakoti, the director of IIT Madras, signed the agreement to establish the school. The mission of Wadhwani School is to provide policymakers and the government with advice on matters pertaining to artificial intelligence and data science.

The following programs will be available through the Wadhwani School of Data Science and AI:

• BTech in AI and Data Analytics
• MTech in Data Science and AI
• MS and PhD in Data Science and AI
• International interdisciplinary Masters in Data Science
• Interdisciplinary dual degree in data science
• Web-enabled MTech in Industrial AI

These programs will begin accepting applications in July 2024. In addition, the school will offer an international multidisciplinary masters program and a joint MSc in Data Science and AI with the University of Birmingham, UK, which will accept 30 students.

Multidisciplinary study

In fields like healthcare, agriculture, smart cities, transportation, financial analytics, manufacturing, energy and environment, defense, education, and systems biology, this new school will combine basic and core research with application research.

Director of IIT Madras V Kamakoti emphasized the necessity of the institution, saying, “A school for data science and AI is critical with the advent of Industry 4.0, wherein AI and data science are the main movers.” This extremely multidisciplinary university was founded by IIT Madras, where academics from several disciplines collaborate to work on specialized fields, such as responsible artificial intelligence.

Data science and AI schools are necessary.

“It’s an honor to be contributing to my alma mater,” stated Sunil Wadhwani. “AI and social impact are close to my heart.” I believe there is a great demand for a data science and AI school that specializes on basic and applied research in these fields. India has a lot of potential and can lead the world in AI and related sciences thanks to scientific and technological breakthroughs.

Through the Wadhwani Institute of Sustainable Healthcare (WISH Foundation) and the Wadhwani Institute of Artificial Intelligence (WIAI), respectively, Sunil Wadhwani has been promoting social welfare, accessible healthcare, and scientific research through his family foundation, the Wadhwani Impact Trust.

By enabling those who are financially disadvantaged to receive high-quality healthcare, the WISH Foundation has improved the lives of nearly 30 million people in eight states around India.