AI University to Begin Operations in 2 Months: Sridhar Babu

He said the initiative will provide advanced training in emerging technologies to software engineers and students who are completing their studies. The Minister made these remarks on Monday while inaugurating the Covasant AI Innovation Centre. He noted that the centre currently employs around 500 engineers, and Covalent plans to expand rapidly by creating 3,000 new jobs over the next two years.

Sridhar Babu said the rapid growth of AI has made it essential for professionals—whether in coding or other technology domains—to upgrade their skills. The upcoming AI University will serve as a platform for reskilling and upskilling, equipping the workforce with cutting-edge capabilities.

The Minister specially commended Covasant Chairman C.V. Subramanyam, highlighting his inspiring journey—starting with just 18 employees decades ago under the name Cigniti, and building it into a global organisation employing thousands today.

Sridhar Babu said that while Silicon Valley represents global technology leadership, Shenzhen symbolizes world-class production, and Singapore stands for discipline and good governance—Hyderabad is emerging as a unique combination of all three. He added that no other city in India offers an ecosystem as conducive and supportive as Hyderabad.

“Hyderabad now stands at the top as the city with the highest number of Global Capability Centres (GCCs) in the country. Leading global banking and financial institutions have chosen Hyderabad for establishing their GCCs, which is a matter of immense pride. The city has also made remarkable progress in the life sciences sector—one-third of the vaccines produced in India are manufactured here, and numerous healthcare innovation centres are coming up. This kind of ecosystem is unmatched elsewhere,” the Minister said.

He attributed these achievements to the strong commitment and clear vision of the government.