The CoE will be based at the IISc in Bengaluru and according to Nokia will aim to promote interdisciplinary research involving robotics and advanced communication technologies in 5G and Artificial Intelligence (AI).
Research projects undertaken by the CoE will include the design of advanced robotics, AI and automation solutions built upon next generation telecom networks and their applications.
Professor Govindan Rangarajan, director at IISc, said: “Next generation communication technologies like 5G and 6G will contribute enormously to the growth of India’s economy.
“Our collaboration with a world-class company like Nokia will enable us to explore new frontiers for advanced technology research to benefit society as well as provide state-of-the-art training to our students to enable them to become technology leaders in the coming decades.”
The centre will also develop use cases across industrial automation, agriculture and disaster management. Nokia will fund the CoE for three consecutive years in order to sustain the first phase of the partnership between Nokia and IISc.
The partnership builds on Nokia’s launch of 4G/LTE technology in 2012 in India ahead of an upcoming 5G auction.
Nishant Batra, chief strategy and technology officer at Nokia, said: “We want India to drive global innovation in an era of convergence where a few years from now, extended reality (XR) and digital-physical fusion will allow us to create, collaborate and communicate in unprecedented ways. There is substantial untapped intellectual capability and competence in India, and our collaboration with a prestigious institution like IISc will enable exciting possibilities for industry and society.”
