Google for India 2024: AI-Driven Solutions for a Digital Future
Google for India 2024, marking the tech giant's 10th event in the country, underscored its commitment to driving India's digital transformation through AI-powered innovations. Celebrating 20 years of Google's operations in India, the event focused on addressing India's unique challenges by introducing AI solutions across healthcare, payments, language support, and sustainability.
Google expanded its conversational AI platform, Gemini Live, to Hindi and will soon include eight other Indian languages like Bengali, Tamil, and Marathi. With over 70% of Indian internet users favoring local languages, this move aims to bring millions of non-English speakers into the digital fold. Notably, 40% of Indian users interact with Gemini via voice input.
Google announced AI-driven cancer and tuberculosis screening tools, currently being trialed in Indian hospitals. These screenings will be offered free of charge for the next decade, demonstrating Google's dedication to improving healthcare access and outcomes nationwide.
Dipa Karmakar Announces Retirement: The End of a Historic Gymnastics Journey
Dipa Karmakar, India's trailblazing gymnast, who narrowly missed out on a podium finish at the Rio 2016 Olympics, has announced her retirement from the sport. Famous for performing the risky "Produnova" vault, often called the "vault of death," Karmakar leaves behind a legacy of courage and determination that redefined Indian gymnastics.
Karmakar, 30, became a national icon after finishing 4th at the Rio Olympics in 2016, attempting the highly dangerous Produnova vault. Though she did not win a medal, her performance captured the attention of gymnastics powerhouses globally. Her career spanned major successes, including a bronze at the 2014 Commonwealth Games, but injuries and surgeries on both knees took a toll, eventually leading to her decision to retire after failing to qualify for the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Oct 04, 2024
Kerala Launches India's First Supercapacitor Manufacturing Facility
Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan inaugurated India's first supercapacitor manufacturing facility at Keltron Component Complex Limited (KCCL) in Kallyassery, Kannur.
The Chief Minister highlighted Keltron's role as a model public sector undertaking (PSU) in the electronics and IT industry, stating that Keltron has set a precedent for other public sector organisations across India since its inception in 1974.
The supercapacitor manufacturing plant was developed in collaboration with the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), and the Chief Minister expressed gratitude for ISRO's role in this initiative. The facility, with an initial investment of Rs. 42 crore, is expected to boost Kerala's status as a hub for electronics industries, while also supporting the country's defence and electric vehicle sectors.
Oct 03, 2024
BharatGen: India's First Government-Funded Multimodal AI Initiative
BharatGen was inaugurated in New Delhi, marking a significant step in India's commitment to generative AI. The initiative aims to enhance public service delivery and citizen engagement by developing foundational models in language, speech, and computer vision. Jitendra Singh, Union Minister of State for various portfolios, emphasised BharatGen's role in positioning India as a global leader in generative AI, similar to the transformative impact of UPI.
BharatGen, led by IIT Bombay under the National Mission on Interdisciplinary Cyber-Physical Systems (NM-ICPS), focuses on creating generative AI systems that produce high-quality text and multimodal content in various Indian languages. The project is implemented by the TIH Foundation for IoT and IOE at IIT Bombay, with contributions from several premier institutions, including IIIT Hyderabad and IIM Indore.
The initiative is distinguished by four key features:
Multilingual and Multimodal Models: BharatGen will create foundational models that cater to diverse Indian languages and formats.
Bhartiya Dataset: The project will prioritize the development and training of AI systems using India-centric datasets.
Open-Source Platform: BharatGen will promote an open-source ecosystem for generative AI research in India.
Focus on Data Sovereignty: The initiative emphasises collecting and curating data that accurately represents India's linguistic and cultural diversity.
Sep 30, 2024
Earth's New Mini Moon: Asteroid 2024 PT5 Orbits for Two Months
Earth welcomed a temporary 'mini-moon' in the form of a small asteroid named 2024 PT5, which is orbiting our planet from September 29 to November 25, 2024. Discovered by NASA's Asteroid Terrestrial-Impact Last Alert System (Atlas) in August 2024, this asteroid measures approximately 33 feet wide and originates from the Arjuna asteroid belt, a region filled with various space rocks.
Asteroids like 2024 PT5 are not uncommon; similar mini-moons have been observed in the past. For instance, the asteroid 2022 NX1 has orbited Earth multiple times, with its next expected return in 2055. After 2024 PT5 exits Earth's orbit, it will remain in proximity until its closest approach on January 9, 2025. Researchers believe it will again return to Earth's orbit in approximately 30 years.
Sep 29, 2024
Tech Mahindra and University of Auckland Partner for AI and Quantum Research (29)
Tech Mahindra signed an MoU with the University of Auckland (UoA) to promote innovation in AI, machine learning (ML), and quantum computing. The collaboration will target sectors like healthcare, banking, financial services, insurance, and government, enhancing industry-academic partnerships to boost graduate employability. Focus areas include spiking neural networks, 1-bit large language models (LLMs), and post-quantum cryptography, particularly in healthcare applications such as drug discovery and personalized digital biomarkers.
AI and ML technologies, including spiking neural networks, 1-bit LLMs, and quantum security, will be central to the collaboration, aiming for innovations in drug discovery and personalized healthcare globally.
The partnership will drive joint research between Tech Mahindra and UoA, integrating academic insights with industry use cases for global markets. Generative AI will be introduced to Indigenous communities, and internships will offer hands-on experience in emerging technologies.
+91-85588-96644
