Sunil Wadhwani donates Rs 110 crore to IITM
Sunil Wadhwani, an IIT Madras alumnus and the Co-founder of IGATE and Mastech Digital, gifted Rs 110 crore, one of the largest gifts given by an alumnus to create a school at an educational institution in India. Wadhwani School of Data Science and AI aims to be among the top AI-focused schools worldwide and also share insights with the government on policy areas. This new school will integrate core and fundamental research with application research in the areas of healthcare, agriculture, smart cities and transportation, financial analytics, manufacturing, energy and environment, defence, education and systems biology.
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.”
Admissions will commence in July 2024. The school will also run a Joint MSc in data science and AI with the University of Birmingham, UK, and an international interdisciplinary masters programme.
Highlighting the importance of a strong working relationship between premier institutions and their alumni and corporate partners, Kaviraj Nair, CEO, Office of Institutional Advancement said, “alumni giving to research endowments is like planting seeds of knowledge that bear fruit for the entire world. Through such support, our alumni not only honour our past but also invest in our future.”
