Foundation Day Highlights IIITH’s Pioneering Role in AI, Tech Advancements
Prof P J Narayanan, the Director of IIIT Hyderabad speaking at the 27th Foundation event
Hyderabad: The International Institute of Information Technology Hyderabad (IIITH) marked its 27th Foundation Day with grandeur with Jayesh Ranjan, Special Chief Secretary for Information Technology, Telangana, gracing the occasion as the chief guest.
Ranjan was given an exclusive tour of IIITH’s groundbreaking projects, each a testament to the institute's far-reaching impact on society. These innovations spanned diverse areas, including AI-powered oral cancer detection, the iRASTE road safety initiative, computational drug discovery, geospatial solutions for nature conservation—from safeguarding lakes to protecting tigers—earthquake and drone-based structural safety assessments, advanced brain mapping, and the development of shape-shifting drones and ornithopters. Also featured were advancements in language technologies, lip-sync and translation tools, and smart city implementations.
In his address, Ranjan expressed his admiration for IIITH, stating, “We are proud that IIITH is consistently ranked among the top engineering institutions in the country, particularly in AI. The presence of IIITH in Hyderabad is a source of pride for the Telangana government. The iRASTE road safety project, a collaboration between the Telangana Government, IIITH, and Intel, was recently presented to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who lauded it and advocated for its nationwide implementation.”
The celebration also saw the presentation of the inaugural Alumni Awards. The Alumni Outstanding Service Award for 2024 was conferred upon Soujanya Lanka (B.Tech CSE, 1998; Ph.D., 2003) and Vipul Kedia (B.Tech CSE (Hons), 1999), recognizing their exceptional contributions. The institute also honored recipients of the Outstanding Service Award for the years 2024 and 2023.
From its humble beginnings with just 50 students, IIITH has grown to become a premier institution, renowned as the No. 1 institute in India for AI and the second-best in Asia for robotics. With nearly 6,000 alumni making a global impact, the institute continues to drive research and innovation, contributing significantly to society. The Centre for Innovation & Entrepreneurship (CIE) celebrated 15 years of fostering startups, further cementing IIITH’s role as a leader in technological innovation.
