Amaravati to host India's first Quantum Valley Centre by 2026, say experts at workshop curtain-raiser
Top national and international experts from IBM, TCS, LTIMindtree, and the State government addressed the session, sharing insights on how quantum computing can transform sectors such as healthcare, finance, logistics, education, cybersecurity, and research.
Speaking on the occasion, Chief Minister Secretary Pradyumna emphasised that quantum computing is a fast, accurate, and revolutionary technology already being adopted globally. 'From banking and defence to healthcare and education, quantum technology is entering lives faster than expected,' he said, noting that Andhra Pradesh, with its strong IT talent, is well-positioned to lead this technological revolution. He announced that the government will establish the Quantum Valley Centre in Amaravati by January 2026, and affirmed the State's commitment to the National Quantum Mission.
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Hindustan Times
3 hours ago
- Hindustan Times
CBSE schools offering AI rises to over 4,500 in Class 9: Education ministry data
New Delhi: The number of Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE)-affiliated schools offering artificial intelligence (AI) as a subject to students in Classes 9 and 11 has seen a sharp rise, with Class 9 registrations surging by 1,833% — from 235 schools in 2019–20 to 4,543 in 2024–25 — and Class 11 by 1,080%, from 80 in 2020–21 to 944 in 2024–25, according to data shared by the union ministry of education in the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday. The national board introduced AI as an optional elective skill subject in Class 9 from the academic session 2019–2020 and in Class 11 from 2020–21. (Representative image) Responding to questions raised by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) lawmaker Sujeet Kumar, union minister of state (MoS) in the ministry of education Jayant Chaudhary said that the board had signed memorandums of understanding (MoUs) with Intel (Integrated Electronics) and IBM (International Business Machines) to promote an emerging technology-based curriculum in schools. 'The curriculum and the content for the AI course was prepared by the board with support of experts from Intel, IBM and other higher educational institutions,' Chaudhary said. The national board introduced AI as an optional elective skill subject in Class 9 from the academic session 2019–2020 and in Class 11 from 2020–21. The data shows that the number of students opting for the subject has seen a continuous rise. While Class 9 students opting for AI jumped by 2,900%, from 15,645 in 2019–20 to 4,69,454 in 2024–25, Class 11 student enrolment increased by 1,556%, from 2,048 in 2020–21 to 33,933 in 2024–25. School principals and technology experts said that the inclusion of AI in the school curriculum has become essential, and demand is growing due to its relevance in the present times and a changing mindset towards AI. 'With AI set to change how students will learn and teachers will teach in the future, we have trained our teachers in smart tutoring platforms to ensure our students are future-ready for digital classrooms. We believe that each student is different and hence our teachers are being trained to create customised study plans for weaker students and thus bring them at par with the others — by taking AI's help in tracking their performance,' Swati Yadav, principal of Bliss International Public School in Meerut, said. Principal of Modern Public School in Delhi's Shalimar Bagh, Alka Kapur, said, 'Their (students') interests are less about gadgets and more about exploring how technology works, affects life, and can be used responsibly to effect positive change. This reflects a change in mindset guided by curiosity with purpose.' Raising concerns about students becoming dependent on AI, principal of Shiv Nadar School in Gurugram, Sameer Arora, said, 'By using analogies, stories, and discussion, not just software, we help students understand not just how AI works, but what it means. Aligned with National Education Policy (NEP)'s vision for future-ready learning, our goal must be to teach students about AI, not lead them into dependence on it. However, before integrating AI in the school curriculum, schools must ask: Is it enriching student thinking? Does it free teachers for deeper engagement? Is it building capability or replacing it?' Co-founder of curriculum design organisation Nature Nurture Akshal Agrawal said, 'Over the past year or two, there has been a visible rise in students opting for AI electives. This is not just because of the buzz, it is because the subject feels real and relevant. Many students are genuinely curious to learn how the tech they use every day actually works. At the same time, there is growing awareness among parents and educators about the need to equip children with skills that go beyond academics.' The growing demand for AI elective subjects also reflects a change in mindset among educators and parents, said Anurag Gupta, CEO and co-founder of AI coding and robotics lab setup company STEMROBO Technologies Pvt. Ltd. 'They see the value in preparing children not just to use technology but to innovate with it. This momentum will only grow as schools continue to invest in 21st-century learning environments,' Gupta added. Minister Chaudhary said that from 2020 to 2024, CBSE has organised seven events, including two national skill expos, three ideathons, and two Future Tech Olympiads. 'A total of 35,000 students, including children who were part of the AI curriculum, have participated in CBSE events,' he said.
Time of India
4 hours ago
- Time of India
Amazon follows IBM and Microsoft, shuts China AI lab that generated nearly $1 billion in sales
Amazon is shutting down its artificial intelligence (AI) lab in Shanghai, making it the latest US tech company to scale back research in China, a report has said, citing growing geopolitical tensions as the reason. The move follows similar actions by IBM and Microsoft, which have also reduced their R&D efforts in the country as US scrutiny over China-related AI work intensifies. According to a report by The Financial Times, the development was confirmed by Wang Minjie, a scientist at the lab, via a social media post on WeChat. The lab was established by Amazon Web Services (AWS) in 2018 and Wang stated that his team was being 'dissolved due to strategic adjustments amid US-China tensions,' and reflected on the 'golden era of foreign research labs' in China. Wang also noted that his team had published over 100 academic papers and developed a neural network framework that generated nearly $1 billion in sales for Amazon. Notably, the exact number of employees at the Shanghai lab is unknown, but Amazon reported having over 10,000 employees in China in 2022, with AWS employing more than 1,000 staff at its peak. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Battery Rebate Now Live – Save Up to $17,500 Australian Solar Batteries Get Quote Undo Job cuts at Amazon and US control over AI infrastructure This decision comes as part of a broader trend of global job cuts at Amazon. Last month, CEO Andy Jassy warned employees that AI adoption would lead to a reduction in staff. An Amazon spokesperson, Brad Glasser, confirmed the recent job cuts at AWS, calling them 'difficult business decisions' necessary to 'invest, hire, and optimise resources.' 'We've made the difficult business decision to eliminate some roles across particular teams in AWS. These decisions are necessary as we continue to invest, hire, and optimise resources,' Glasser said. IBM cut over 1,000 R&D jobs in China last year, while Microsoft offered to relocate hundreds of Chinese employees working on AI and cloud. AI Masterclass for Students. Upskill Young Ones Today!– Join Now
Mint
4 hours ago
- Mint
Infosys's strong showing not enough to power Indian IT in slow first quarter
Next Story Jas Bardia Infosys has emerged as the fastest-growing Indian IT services company, significantly exceeding analysts' expectations with its latest quarterly results. But while Infosys is optimistic about its growth this year, the IT services sector remains wary of persistent macroeconomic challenges. Infosys CEO Salil Parekh announcing the company's Q1 results in Bengaluru on 23 July. (PTI) Gift this article Infosys Ltd grew the fastest among India's five largest information technology services companies, reporting its best first-quarter performance in four years defying a slowdown in tech spending and macroeconomic uncertainty. Infosys Ltd grew the fastest among India's five largest information technology services companies, reporting its best first-quarter performance in four years defying a slowdown in tech spending and macroeconomic uncertainty. Infosys reported $4.94 billion in revenue for the April-June period—up 4.46% from the preceding three months and 4.82% from a year earlier—exceeding the $4.86 billion that analysts polled by Bloomberg had expected on average. Much of this increase in business was from energy companies, which made up 27% of the company's incremental revenue of $211 million. Infosys also raised the lower end of its revenue guidance for 2025-26 to 1-3% in constant currency terms, higher than the flat-3% growth it had projected in April, which was its slowest revenue guidance in at least a decade. Constant currency does not take currency fluctuation into account. HCL Technologies Ltd, too, recently increased the lower end of its full-year guidance. It now expects revenue growth of 3-5% in constant currency terms for FY26, up from its April projection of 2-5% growth. Much of the boost in Infosys's guidance is because of its acquisitions of US-based MRE Consulting and Australian cybersecurity services firm The Missing Link for about $98 million, both of which were announced earlier this year. Revenue from these two acquisitions make up almost 0.4% of the company's overall revenue growth, according to Infosys's management. Macro headwinds TCS fared the worst among India's five largest IT services companies in the first quarter with a 0.59% sequential decline in revenue to $7.42 billion—its worst first-quarter performance in 5 years. HCL Technologies, the country's third-largest IT outsourcer, ended the June quarter with revenue of $3.55 billion, up 1.34% sequentially, while Tech Mahindra, the fifth-largest, saw its revenue grow 0.97% to $1.56 billion. Fourth-largest Wipro ended with $2.59 billion in revenue, down 0.35% sequentially. Infosys's management sounded sanguine on the company's future. 'With the current outlook, we have seen a lot of the discussion on the economy worldwide having come to more stable situations but still seems that it's not fully settled," said Salil Parekh, chief executive of Infosys, during the company's post-earnings press conference on Wednesday. Parekh's view was similar to that of his peers at TCS, Wipro, and Tech Mahindra, which have blamed macroeconomic uncertainties for delayed decision-making and project implementation by customers. However, HCLTech's management has said the macroeconomic environment is stable, with some sectoral variations. Infosys's operating margins in the first quarter were not much to cheer about. The company reported profitability of 20.8%, down 20 basis points sequentially, making Infosys the third large Indian IT outsourcer to slash its margins. (One basis point is a hundredth of a percentage point.) HCLTech and Wipro's operating margins narrowed 160 basis points and 20 basis points to 16.3% and 17.3%, respectively. On the other hand, TCS and Tech Mahindra's operating margins widened 30 basis points and 60 basis points to 24.5% and 11.1%, respectively. Infosys's big wins Infosys expects growth to pick-up in the next few quarters. Chief financial officer Jayesh Sanghrajka said the company raised the lower end of its full-year projections on the back of a 'strong quarter and strong deal wins". Parekh said the optimism was based on Infosys securing more consolidation deals from clients, especially in the US, its biggest market. 'We are seeing clients are selecting us more and more when they are looking at consolidation, because inherently, clients see Infosys as delivery, as very strong and stable, and also providing new ideas, especially on AI, for improvements into their business," said Parekh. Infosys reported large deal signings worth $3.8 billion in the first quarter, up 46% sequentially. While TCS has said that it expects IT spending by clients to resume once there is clarity in the market, Tech Mahindra has given mixed signals, its management saying that it is too soon to predict revenue growth or even a recession. HCLTech and Wipro are optimistic of a better second half in FY26 on the back of recent deal wins and a strong order pipeline. 'Infosys's Q1FY26 results reflect beat on revenues with a 4.46% (quarter-on-quarter) USD revenue growth with internals suggesting that it (growth) is not aided by any sequential rebound in pass-through revenues," said Manik Taneja, executive director for IT services at Axis Capital. However, a point of concern was Infosys's net profit, which fell 0.49% sequentially to $809 million in the June quarter. Infosys is the fourth large IT outsourcer to report a fall in net profit for the first quarter. Tough road ahead Infosys increased its headcount by 210 to end the June quarter with 323,788 employees. HCLTech cut headcount by 269 people to end the first quarter with 223,151 employees, while Tech Mahindra's headcount fell by 214 to 148,517 employees. Wipro also reduced headcount in the first quarter, by 114 people to 233,232 employees. TCS is the only top IT outsourcer in the country to have added headcount during the June quarter, up by 5,090 people to end the period with 613,069 employees. Three of the country's five largest IT outsourcers cutting headcount signals a tougher road ahead. More headcount in an IT services company implies more demand for their IT services. The decrease in headcount comes in the backdrop of a tariff war started by US President Donald Trump coupled with geopolitical uncertainties. These can force large Fortune clients, many of which count Infosys as their IT vendor, to hold their IT spending. Infosys shares were up 1.26% at $18.49 apiece on the New York Stock Exchange at 6:04 pm IST. On NSE, before its results were announced, Infosys ended Wednesday down 0.76% at ₹ 1,558.90 each, while the Nifty IT index gained 0.16%. Topics You May Be Interested In Catch all the Business News , Corporate news , Breaking News Events and Latest News Updates on Live Mint. Download The Mint News App to get Daily Market Updates.
