CHENNAI: The Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT-M) revealed on Tuesday that it has received a significant endowment of Rs 110 crore from alumnus Sunil Wadhwani. The figure is one of the largest from an alumnus in India, the endowment will be utilised to establish the Wadhwani School of Data Science and AI at the institute. Sunil Wadhwani, the co-founder of IGATE and Mastech Digital, has signed an MoU to this effect with V Kamakoti, the IIT-M’s director.
Highlighting the need for such a school, director Kamakoti said, “With the advent of Industry 4.0, wherein AI and Data Science are the main movers, the need for a school for Data Science and AI is critical. "
"IIT Madras has started this highly interdisciplinary school involving faculty from many departments joining hands to work on niche areas, including responsible AI. I also express my deep gratitude to Sunil Wadhwani and his family for sponsoring this school," he added.
Sunil Wadhwani, through his family foundation, Wadhwani Impact Trust, has been supporting social welfare, affordable healthcare, and scientific research through the Wadhwani Institute of Sustainable Healthcare (WISH Foundation) and Wadhwani Institute of Artificial Intelligence (WIAI). Wadhwani was named in the TIME100 AI list of 2023, a list of the 100 most influential people in the AI industry across the globe, an official release said.
Commenting on the occasion, Sunil Wadhwani said, “AI and social impact are close to my heart, and it’s my honour to be contributing to my alma mater. With the advancements in science and technology, India holds immense potential and can be a world leader in AI and allied sciences.”
The Wadhwani School of Data Science and AI plans to offer a range of programmes, including a BTech programme in AI and Data Analytics; MTech programme in Data Science and AI; MS & PhD programmes in Data Science and AI; Joint MSc in Data Science and AI with the University of Birmingham, UK; International Interdisciplinary Masters Programme in Data Science; Interdisciplinary Dual Degree in Data Science and Web-enabled MTech in Industrial AI. Admissions are set to open in July.