IBM renews tie-up with IIT-B, IISc to drive Cloud, AI innovation

IBM has renewed its research collaboration with Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Bombay and Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru to work in the area of hybrid cloud and artificial intelligence (AI), including Generative AI, the technology major said in a press release on Wednesday.

The aim is to drive innovation and provide practical solutions to complex global challenges by tapping the intellectual talent of students, faculty and industry researchers, the IBM release stated.

The collaborations will focus on several areas including extending the prior research in natural language processing and machine learning involving deep generative AI models.

Focus will also be on creating sophisticated computer programs that can detect and explain fake news using advanced Artificial Intelligence techniques and building new technologies to optimise workloads in a hybrid cloud environment.

"The synergy between the abundant talent in IIT Bombay and a technological leader like IBM can not only expand the horizons of knowledge but also address problems of national importance, such as affordable healthcare, educational outreach, and smart management of growing industrial and urban infrastructure,” said Sachin Patwardhan, professor and dean (R&D), IIT Bombay.

"The engagement with IBM researchers is helping us explore some of the practical dimensions of the research challenges in Cloud platforms and sustainability, and investigate the means to democratise access to quantum hardware in the Cloud for scientific and enterprise applications," said Yogesh Simmhan, Associate Professor, Department of Computational and Data Sciences, IISc.

IIT Bombay joined the IBM AI Horizon Network in 2018 to advance AI research in India and in 2021, IBM and IISc Bangalore launched the IBM-IISc Hybrid Cloud lab to advance research in hybrid cloud technologies and drive breakthrough innovations in this area.

Amith Singhee, Director IBM Research India, said: "Our collaboration with IIT Bombay and IISc Bengaluru underscores the importance of combining diverse expertise. By merging IBM's technological prowess with the cutting-edge research skills of these prestigious institutions, we foster a collaborative ecosystem that pushes the boundaries of scientific discovery.”