Tech Mahindra partners with the University of Sydney to create AL, ML solutions

Makers Lab, the research arm of information technology firm Tech Mahindra, has partnered with the University of Sydney to co-create emerging technology solutions to tackle problems faced by industry, community and government, a company statement said.

The partnership will provide students an opportunity to work on real-world problems through the newly developed programme called Industry and Community Projects Units (ICPU), the statement added.

According to Tech Mahindra, the programme is being introduced as part of a revamp to the undergraduate curriculum at the University of Sydney and will allow interdisciplinary groups of students to work on projects in areas like community development, law, technology, farming, sustainability, banking and health.

The four-week long programme will see student groups work with an academic supervisor and industry experts, leveraging emerging technologies like artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML), virtual reality and augmented reality (VR/AR), and the Internet of Things (IoT) in Makers Lab, the company added.

“These projects bring students from a range of disciplinary backgrounds together to research, analyse and present solutions to real-world problems. We are equipping our students with the skills they need for the jobs of the future. We are firmly in the Asian century with Australia’s future closely interlinked with Asia," said Michael Spence, vice-chancellor and principal of the University of Sydney.

Spence added that the partnership was key to giving the university students a better understanding of the region and the experience of working with an international company. The partnership is a continuation of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between the university and Tech Mahindra early last year to collaborate in two key areas—joint research projects in AI, ML, blockchain, data analytics, security and AR/VR and partnerships for experiential learning.

“Through this collaboration with academia, industry and business, we hope to build a workforce of the future. We are looking to create a talent pool that is more in tune with the practical insights around disruptive technologies that can benefit the Australian market and enable us to spot young talent,” said Nikhil Malhotra, head of Makers Lab.

Recently, IT services and consulting firm Wipro said it will set up an innovation centre in partnership with Swinburne University of Technology in Melbourne, Australia to conduct research in AI and ML with specific applications for digital health and smart cities.

Late last year, Tech Mahindra had launched an enterprise edition of an open source AI platform named GAIA, powered by Acumos, a project developed by The Linux Foundation.

In November last year, the company had opened a digital experience centre in Bengaluru in partnership with network gear maker Cisco Systems to showcase the latest technologies available for digitisation in sectors like manufacturing, retail and smart cities.