Telangana is not the only State that is supportive of these industries. State governments are bending backwards to attract data centres and they include Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka which have attractive policies to host these centres. Because data centres are seen as a critical infrastructure we cannot ask any questions,” said Pradip Thomas of University of Queensland at a workshop on ‘Data Centres for AI: Global Expansion and the Environment’ hosted in hybrid mode at the International Institute of Information Technology.

Several esteemed foreign universities are setting up their campuses in the country and a lot of prestigious institutions from India have secured higher ranks in global rankings. Still, there is a large skill gap, especially in the technology domain as companies are always on the lookout for candidates for exceptional technical prowess. TechGig recently had the opportunity to have a deep discussion with Prof P J Narayanan, Director, IIIT Hyderabad about the role of premium educational institutions in shaping the Indian IT industry.

Whether it’s raising funds to improve college infrastructure, starting a ‘pay forward model’ to help students from poor families pursue courses or mentoring students to secure jobs and internships, alumni of IIITH, based in different parts of the world have been doing their bit. The institute, which recently felicitated a few alumni for their exceptional service to IIITH, has several active former students in its network. “Since our fee is high, we as alumni felt that anyone who deserves to be in the institute shouldn’t be deprived of the opportunity. That’s how we set up the alumni fund, an initiative dear to me,” said Jayachandra Sunkara.