'Capgemini is prototyping different use cases for the metaverse'

With more than 50% of its employees in the country, India plays a key role in Capgemini’s global business. The French IT services major is increasing the number of centres of excellence in India this year and many of these will now focus on technologies like internet of things (IoT), smart factory, and intelligent supply chain. In an interview with Mint, Ashwin Yardi, chief executive officer, Capgemini in India, talks about the company’s key focus areas, its work in the metaverse, and drivers of cloud and digital. Edited excerpts:    

What are some of the key focus areas for Capgemini this year?

Capgemini’s focus for 2022 lies primarily in three areas: sustainability, talent and innovation. These three areas are among our foundations for growth for years to come. Sustainability is a key component of our corporate strategic framework and we launched our Sustainable IT offering designed to help clients reduce their IT carbon footprint. We aim to be carbon neutral for our own operations no later than 2025 and across our supply chain by 2030 and committed to becoming a net zero business well ahead of 2050. 
Talent growth and development is another priority for us. In 2022, we aim to move towards a broader talent ecosystem where we will expand how we onboard new talent and work together in flexible ways. We also continue to invest and are betting big on technology areas like AI (artificial intelligence), ML (machine learning), 5G, digitalization, big data, AR/VR (augmented reality/virtual reality), and quantum computing.

Are you also thinking about the metaverse like some of your competitors?

In today’s digital economies, increasing need for phygital engagements, popularity of mixed reality, and increased remote engagements are some of the factors contributing to the rise of the metaverse market. In the metaverse space, we are prototyping different use cases and are currently accelerating our metaverse offerings and capabilities. We are working with clients in automotive, manufacturing and gaming and other industries on their Metaverse journey. Recently we set up a dedicated lab and team of quantum technology experts from across the organization, building on existing teams and physical facilities in Cambridge, the UK and Lisbon. Our quantum computing experts in India and worldwide access these facilities and platforms via the cloud.

How is the India team contributing to the company’s focus on ‘intelligent industry’?

Capgemini works across industries to help organizations develop intelligent products and systems, intelligent operations, and intelligent support and services--all powered by data and according to their specific business and operational challenges. With more than 50% of Capgemini employees in the country, India plays a key role in the global business. We are increasing the number of centres of excellence in India this year and many of these will now focus on technologies like IoT, smart factory, and intelligent supply chain. India is a big centre for innovation and growth for the group. Last year we set up a 5G lab in Mumbai, our third globally, to accelerate the deployment of 5G solutions. Autonomous vehicle is another area of key focus for intelligent industry and the team in India is working on several prototypes.

What’s driving your digital and cloud services which account for a major share of your business?

Our digital and cloud services, which accounts for around 65% of Capgemini’s activity, accelerated steadily throughout the year. Some of the key drivers for businesses to move to cloud are the need to reduce cost and time-to-market, improve business agility, move away from data centres and the dependency on third-party managing infrastructure. Cloud is the natural technology platform for business transformation; it brings innovation, data driven outcomes, efficiency, scalability and agility and has become the prerequisite for our clients to drive their digital transformation. We recently launched our Cloud Digital Experience Centre in Bengaluru that demonstrates how emerging cloud technologies, proprietary tools, and AI and automation can help clients create new possibilities for their business.