Cisco launches initiatives for digital Gujarat

NEW DELHI: Cisco has announced a series of strategic initiatives to help accelerate the digital transformation of Gujarat. Digital disruption is a reality and is transforming every country, state and city.

A digitized state aims to drive GDP growth, create jobs and foster innovation, enhance research and education, stimulate entrepreneurship, accelerate business innovation, develop economic cluster initiatives, and support infrastructure. Towards that end, Cisco signed two Memoranda of Understanding (MoU), which include establishing an Internet of Things (IoT) Innovation hub to develop and customize digital technologies and solutions with International Centre for Entrepreneurship and Technology (iCreate) and a Smart City project in Gujarat International Finance Tec-City (GIFT).

iCreate is an autonomous institute – a centre of excellence of the Government of Gujarat – that has been set up under the visionary leadership of the Honorable Prime Minister Narendra Modi. iCreate’s mission is to catalyze new age entrepreneurial pursuits of the youth and focuses on innovative applications for wealth generation, employment creation and global competition. Chaired by the Additional Chief Secretary Industries and Mines Department, P.K.Taneja, iCreate’s Advisory Board is headed by Narayana Murthy (founder of Infosys) and has Dr. Madhukumar Mehta (Chief Mentor & Founding Team Member - ‎icreate) as the Chief Mentor.

The MoUs were signed in the presence of the Honorable Chief Minister of Gujarat, Vijay Rupani, Deputy Chief Minister of Gujarat, Nitin Bhai Patel, Dr. J.N Singh, Chief Secretary, Govt of Gujarat, P. K. Taneja, Additional Chief Secretary Industries and Mines Department, Additional Chief Secretary Urban Development, Poonamchand Parmar, Ajay Pandey, MD and Group CEO of GIFT City, Anupam Jalote, CEO, iCreate and Dinesh Malkani, President, Cisco India and SAARC.

Cisco in collaboration with iCreate, will explore the setting up of an Internet of Things (IoT) Innovation Hub at iCreate’s new campus at Dev Dholera near Bavla, Ahmedabad, to foster local innovation. The innovation centre will enable startups and entrepreneurs to build smart city and IoT-based solutions. Cisco experts, together with industry partners and start-ups, will develop proof of concepts; identify features and functionalities required for digital solutions, and engage in rapid prototyping. Long known for its expertise in manufacturing, this IoT lab will help Gujarat leapfrog ahead of other states in the use of innovative technology solutions to increase the competitiveness and efficiency of its industries.

The Center will include a dedicated space to demonstrate IoT in action, and creates a place in which customers, startups, open communities, researchers, entrepreneurs and technology enthusiasts are invited to work and brainstorm on new ideas and technologies.

iCreate’s new Campus is dedicated entirely to the promotion of entrepreneurship, and Cisco’s presence will prove to be a catalyst, spurring rapid adoption and rollout of digital technology solutions.

Develop Gujarat International Finance Tec-City (GIFT) as a Smart City

GIFT City, which is being developed as India’s 1st greenfield Smart City has many unique features being implemented for the first time in India like District Cooling solution, a first of its kind utility tunnel and ready availability of Tier IV datacenter and speedy access to global financial gateways, each aspect of this city is smart and innovative.

Cisco and GIFT are exploring deployment of Smart City applications in the GIFT City campus, including public Wi-Fi, smart parking, smart transport, traffic analytics, Remote Expert Government Services (REGS), smart kiosk, smart environmental sensors along with City Digital Platform (CDP) and help in a establishing City Command and Control Center (C-4) to monitor and manage the City’s applications and utilities with greater efficiency and effectiveness.

Cisco will aim to collaborate with local ecosystem solution providers to build a scalable model for the effective rollout of city services across the area. This project will utilize Cisco’s global expertise and intellectual property in the areas of IoT, mobile technology and applications, cloud computing and data analytics. Cisco will also engage with ecosystem partners to develop new applications specifically for GIFT.

Chief Minister of Gujarat, Shri Vijay Rupani said, “This technology will lay the foundation to transform India into a developed nation and create an enabling environment for entrepreneurship, foster innovation and accelerate economic competitiveness. My vision for the State is to digitally empower every citizen, enhance the quality of life, enable ease of doing business and become an innovation and knowledge hub for the Country. We are happy to have Cisco partner with us to help build Gujarat’s economy of the future."

Dinesh Malkani, President, Cisco India and SAARC said, ‘’Digitization and Innovation are the key drivers of the Indian economy, leading to jobs, growth and long-term prosperity. The announcement today underlines Cisco’s commitment to enable Gujarat to capitalize on digital opportunities, strengthen the vibrant innovation ecosystem in the state, enhance quality of life of citizens and accelerate the digital transformation of the state.”

Ajay Pandey, MD and Group CEO of GIFT said, “GIFT is using ICT as a strategic differentiator – putting technology at the foundation of its expansive community. As India’s first operational Smart City, GIFT has helped transform how cities are built, managed and experienced. We are excited to partner with Cisco to deliver exciting new smart services to its residents, businesses and visitors, creating a model for digitized cities around the world.”

Anupam Jalote, CEO, iCreate said, “India is a hotbed of entrepreneurial talent. We are excited to partner with Cisco for the IoT innovation hub, which will be a tremendous accelerator for startups to develop digital solutions that reach global markets.”

P. K. Taneja, Additional Chief Secretary IMD and Chairman of iCreate said, “Gujarat is already a core manufacturing hub for the country. I’m personally very excited that this partnership between iCreate and Cisco will help Gujarat take a leadership position in digitization, start-up’s and innovation”.