Japan shows interest in IT centre of excellence

Japan is showing interest in a centre of excellence in emerging technologies to be set up by the Software Technology Parks of India, Union ministry of electronics

Japan is showing interest in a centre of excellence in emerging technologies to be set up by the Software Technology Parks of India, Union ministry of electronics and information technology (MeitY), at Mohali.

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“They have evinced interest in the centre of excellence for advanced and emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence, bid data and internet of things,” said additional chief secretary, industries and commerce, Vini Mahajan.

The state government has been pursuing the facility under the umbrella memorandum of understanding between Japan’s ministry of economy, trade and industry and MeitY. The centre of excellence is expected to be a boost for start-ups working in the emerging technologies such as AI, data analytics and internet of things.

Invest Punjab officials said the state government was also in talks with Japan, a partner country for the Progressive Punjab Investors Summit being held in Mohali on December 5 and 6, to launch electric buses based on its model of state-of-the-art quick charge lithium ion batteries. In the first phase, a pilot project of five buses is proposed to be launched in the state.

They said many players had entered into different forms of collaborations such as manufacturing, technology tie-ups and financial assistance with Japanese enterprises to enter new markets, upgrade technology and launch new lines of products. The state government is also in talks with Japan to identify new collaborations building on the strong ties that already exist between both parties, said the officials.

Invest Punjab chief executive officer Rajat Agarwal had met JETRO chief director general Yasuyuki Murahashi in September 2019 to discuss the Japanese Industrial Townships (JIT) model for Punjab. JIT model provides encumbrance free land with un-interrupted water and electricity supply for their companies. The state has proposed Bathinda, Ludhiana and Patiala as locations for the Japanese city.