Tata Sons Group chairman Cyrus P. Mistry on Thursday laid the foundation stone for F.C. Kohli Centre on Intelligent Systems (KCIS).
It is being built by Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) with an investment of Rs.20 crore at International Institute of Information Technology, Hyderabad.
Named after TCS's first CEO F.C. Kohli, who is considered as father of India's information technology industry, the centre will carry out high impact research in natural language processing, robotics and cognitive sciences.
Terming it as memorable occasion, Mistry said it was good to see that two leaders in their fields -- TCS and IIIT -- have taken the initiative and together created a legacy worthy of F.C. Kohli.
"Hyderabad is a major technology hub and is growing further in importance when it comes to technology talent. I believe this is apt new location for this institution," Mistry said.
"We are establishing another legacy for F.C. Kohli by creating world-class research facility in intelligent systems, an area of technology that is rapidly advancing and opening up fresh possibilities in areas such as machine learning and artificial intelligence," he said.
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Mistry recalled Kohli's association with the Tata Group for more than half a century. Kohli joined Tata Electric in 1951.
"A visionary engineer, his talents were subsequently tapped to create and build TCS. His systematic efforts laid the foundations tone for the rise of Indian software industry," Mistry said.
Even after retirement, Kohli is working with the Tata Group in a honorary capacity to find new ways to use computers for India's development and to address key problems like illiteracy and low agricultural productivity.
Speaking on the occasion, Kohli said they were working to develop software in all Indian languages and hoped to complete the work in next two years.
He also underlined the need to promote the domestic IT industry like China and to upgrade the technological skills.
TCS CEO and MD N. Chandrasekharan said setting up the centre was a significant initiative to promote futuristic research in several areas of intelligent systems like robotics, machine learning, natural language processing and cognitive systems.
"Many of these technologies will be relevant in automation that we will get to see in years to come," he said.
The KCIS, coming up with 60,000 square feet built-up area, will act as an umbrella organisation at the institute to both strengthen the existing groups and facilitate new activities in related areas.
The new centre will try to attract projects and funding from other entities in the government and industry sectors, coordinate research in related domains across different centres of IIIT Hyderabad, as well as in the institute's research collaboration with other academic institutions in the country.
Telangana Information Technology Minister K. Tarakarama Rao said the new state was looking forward to a deeper, stronger and more long-term partnership with Tata Group.
He also said that Tata Group has second largest employee base in Hyderabad. The group has presence in all sectors, from hospitality to aerospace, in Hyderabad.