IIT-Madras Secures ₹110-Crore Endowment for Wadhwani School of Data Science & AI

Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT Madras) has been endowed with ₹110 crore by Sunil Wadhwani, a distinguished alumnus and Co-founder of IGATE and Mastech Digital. This substantial gift, one of the largest by an alumnus in India, is intended to establish the Wadhwani School of Data Science and Artificial Intelligence (AI). The memorandum of understanding (MoU) formalizing the endowment was signed between Sunil Wadhwani and V. Kamakoti, Director of IIT Madras.

The primary objective of the Wadhwani School of Data Science and AI is to provide guidance to the government and policymakers in the field of Data Science and AI-related policy areas. Sunil Wadhwani, currently the Managing Partner at SWAT Capital, emphasized the rapid growth of AI usage in India and highlighted the critical need for a robust AI ecosystem, both in industry and academia. The newly established school at IIT Madras aims to address this need, focusing on research and development related to AI.

V. Kamakoti expressed that this endowment marks a historic moment for IIT Madras and will contribute significantly to making the institute a robust center for the development of an AI ecosystem. Given the rise of Industry 4.0, where AI and Data Science play pivotal roles, establishing a school dedicated to these domains is crucial. IIT Madras has already initiated the interdisciplinary school, bringing together faculty from various departments to collaborate on specialized areas, including Responsible AI.

HBL