MADURAI: The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), Madurai Zone, on Friday submitted a proposal to Atul Anand, Additional Chief Secretary, Artificial Intelligence, Information Technology and Digital Services Department, to establish a Centre of Excellence for AI in the temple city, to strengthen the city’s ecosystem for startups, research, innovation, industry collaboration and technology development.
Welcoming the proposal, Anand said the Government would examine its feasibility, including the possibility of taking it forward in collaboration with TIDCO.
He was participating in Connect Madurai 2026, organised by CII, Madurai Zone, which brought together various stakeholders to deliberate on the opportunities presented by Artificial Intelligence (AI) and the future of Madurai’s technology ecosystem.
Speaking on the occasion, Atul Anand highlighted the Tamil Nadu Government’s initiatives to leverage AI as a force multiplier and promote startups, research, deep-tech innovation and the responsible use of emerging technologies.
State government will examine the feasibility to implement CII's proposal, including the possibility of taking it forward in collaboration with TIDCO
He said the Government’s focus included AI-related policies, ethical use of AI, data sharing and governance, skill development, digital public service delivery and the proposed development of an AI City.
Speaking at the programme, B Subburaman, Co-Chair, CII Southern Region Taskforce on AI Adoption & Responsible Adoption, emphasised that Madurai should build on its existing strengths in manufacturing, software, embedded technologies, industrial automation and engineering to move towards the creation of intellectual property and technology-led products.