New Delhi, Feb 28 (UNI) Walmart Global Tech on Wednesday entered into a partnership with Indian Institute of Technology Madras to establish the Walmart Centre for Tech Excellence in order to empower Micro, SMEs in the manufacturing and retails sectors.
The center will work towards developing cutting-edge solutions that will help MSMEs adopt Artificial Intelligence (AI) along with digitization to drive operational efficiency and profitability, a joint press release said.
This partnership is another step ahead in Walmart’s commitment to equip local entrepreneurs with tools to augment their businesses and promote sustained growth for the Indian MSME sector. The center will work towards building an open-sourced, domain-agnostic platform that will develop engineering analytics solutions, making them widely accessible.
Additionally, the center will build a repository of case studies to accelerate AI adoption in the manufacturing and retail industries. These case studies will also be leveraged to deliver skilling programs focused on the basics of AI and its application in the sectors.
Walmart Center for Tech Excellence was launched at an inaugural event in the presence of officials from both Walmart and IITM faculty.
Speaking at the inaugural ceremony, Suresh Kumar, Global CTO and CDO, Walmart Inc. said, “As a people-led, tech-powered organization, we believe in using technology to serve people—and not the other way round. The Walmart Center for Tech Excellence reiterates our commitment to communities and purpose to help people live better. As an IITM alumnus, I am especially proud of our ongoing partnership. I’m both excited and confident about the potential of our center to drive innovation in AI and make a positive impact in the MSME community in India.”
Addressing the launch event, Prof. V. Kamakoti, Director, IIT Madras said, “The growth of MSMEs is very crucial for economic prosperity. IIT Madras has initiated many projects in this direction including the one that helps MSMEs in reducing energy consumption. The research carried out through the Walmart Center will be of immense value to the MSMEs.”
Sharing his thoughts at the inauguration, Balu Chaturvedula, SVP & Country Head, Walmart Global Tech said, “Walmart has a long history of improving the communities that we serve. Today, this value extends from the physical to the digital worlds. We believe in building long-lasting relationships with the academia to help our communities thrive and live better.
“Our collaboration with IIT Madras is a testament to this commitment. It’s a proud moment to witness the launch of the Walmart Center for Tech Excellence and its vision to deliver value through technology for the MSME community in India.”
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