Siddaramaiah said, the summit showcases Karnataka’s leadership in innovation, sustainability, and inclusive growth.
BENGALURU, Nov 19 (The CONNECT) – The three-day 27th Bengaluru Tech Summit got off to a start today with Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah declaring that event has the potential of attracting $17.5 billion worth investments.
With over 50 countries’ participation, BTS 2024 emphasizes global collaboration through MoUs with Switzerland, Finland, and Sharjah. Karnataka continues to lead in shaping a future of transformative growth and remains a beacon of innovation and opportunity for the world, the CM said in his inauguration speech.
Siddaramaiah said, the summit showcases Karnataka’s leadership in innovation, sustainability, and inclusive growth.
The State has launched India’s first Policy Centre for GCCs and the Nipuna Karnataka programme, aimed at skilling 100,000 individuals in cutting-edge technologies, which reflects our commitment to empowering local talent and fostering global competitiveness.
The Centre of Excellence in AI, in collaboration with IIT Alumni Center Bangalore, positions Karnataka as a hub for advanced R&D and startup innovation, he added.
An important highlight of the ceremony was the recognition given by the Department of Electronics, IT & Bt, Government of Karnataka to Sriharsha Majety, CEO & Co-Founder of Swiggy, for his remarkable achievements in building one of Karnataka’s earliest and most inspiring startups.
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Karnataka CM inaugurating the BTS 2024, flanked by his deputy Shivakumar.
Texas Instruments India was honored for its remarkable entry into its 40th year of presence in Bengaluru and India.
Deputy CM D.K. Shivakumar said, “as we embrace the theme ‘Unbound,’ we celebrate not only the transformative power of technology but also its ability to transcend boundaries, uniting nations, industries, and people to forge a brighter, more inclusive future”.
This summit encapsulates the State’s collective vision to position Karnataka as a global epicenter of innovation, where talent meets opportunity, and ideas turn into impactful solutions, he remarked,
Several key announcements were made during the Inaugural Ceremony.
- The launch of the Nipuna Karnataka Logo marked the beginning of a transformative skills initiative. Nipuna Karnataka aims at enhancing the skills of local talent to improve their global competitiveness in emerging technologies. The objective is to equip Karnataka’s workforce with advanced skills that align with the requirements of high-demand sectors, thus fostering economic growth and increasing employment opportunities both within and outside the state. It will aim to that the local talent is skilled locally and they work globally.
- As part of the Nipuna initiative, five strategic MoUs were exchanged with global tech giants—Microsoft, Intel, Accenture, IBM, and the BFSI Consortium—aiming to bolster collaboration and drive innovation. These MoUs aim to train 1,00,000 trainees in the next year with a placement of 70% of the trained professionals.
- Microsoft: With Microsoft, GoK aims to train 10,000+ trainees per year in emerging technology with a focus on Deep tech
- Intel: GoK is collaborating with Intel with an aim to train 20,000+ trainees per year in AI under various programmes like AI for ALL, AI for Youth and Unnati.
- Accenture: Accenture in collaboration with GoK is training 10,000 trainees on emerging technology like cyber security and quantum computing.
- IBM: IBM has committed to train 50,000 people on AI and Cloud services with a special focus on hands on training to get a practical experience.
- BFSI Consortium: BFSI is training 10,000 trainees in banking and financial sector and ensuring that they get placement in various reputed companies working in Fintech Sector.
- The event also saw the unveiling of a special souvenir by Elets Technomedia and eGov magazine in collaboration with the Department of Electronics, IT, Bt, and S&T. The exclusive publication, titled Karnataka: Driving India’s Technology & AI Revolution, highlights the state’s exceptional journey in leading India’s advancements in artificial intelligence and technology.
- The Bengaluru Data Report was also launched during this occasion.
- Adding to the momentum, the government announced the establishment of a Centre of Excellence on AI in Bengaluru to foster cutting-edge research and development. The Centre of Excellence in Artificial Intelligence (AI) is envisioned as India’s premier accelerator for AI startups, spearheaded by the IIT Alumni Center Bangalore (IITACB) in partnership with the Government of Karnataka. This initiative is designed to support the next generation of AI-driven innovations by providing startups with access to capital, high-quality mentorship, industry partnerships, and state-of-the-art technical resources
- Another significant announcement was for Startup Springboard program- a platform at BTS 2024, designed to empower Karnataka’s startups through three pillars; Investor Connect (linking startups with key investors and industry leaders); Mentor Connect (enabling invaluable guidance through mentor-mentee interactions) and Innoverse (providing infrastructure, plug-and-play facilities, and training to support prototype development and innovation for emerging entrepreneurs).
