By Our Correspondent
BHUBANESWAR:To further strengthen the education, IT and technology ecosystem of Odisha, Sambalpur MP and former Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan has written two separate letters to Union Ministers for Railways, Information and Broadcasting and Electronics and Information Technology Ashwani Baishnab, seeking their personal intervention. Shri Pradhan has requested for setting up a regional centre of ‘Centre for Development of Advanced Computing’ (C-DAC) at Gangadhar Meher University, Sambalpur and has expressed interest in expanding the ‘Software Technology Parks of India’ (STPI) centre in Sambalpur.
The high-performance computing facility of the ‘Centre for Development of Advanced Computing’ will be integrated with the Computer Science and MCA departments of Gangadhar Meher University to enhance research in data analytics, cloud infrastructure and artificial intelligence. The centre will enhance collaboration between academia, startups, industry and government agencies in AI, cyber security, Indian language technologies and digital problem solving. It will also create a new skilled workforce, he said.
Similarly, Shri Pradhan, in a separate letter, has requested to develop the ‘Software Technology Parks of India’ (STPI) centre in Sambalpur into a forward-looking IT, ESDM (Electronics System Design and Manufacturing) and innovation hub. He stated in the letter that Sambalpur and its surrounding areas have immense potential in the fields of IT, ESDM, semiconductor design and digital infrastructure. The existing STPI centre has played a key role in driving the digital economy of the region, but it is imperative to expand its capacity in view of the growing opportunities in IT, startups, AI, semiconductor design and digital services. The expansion of STPI will create high-quality employment opportunities for the youth of the state in view of the growing opportunities in semiconductor design, AI, IT and GCC sectors. The expansion of the STPI center will provide a boost to technology companies, startups, incubation, skill development, and innovation.
Shri Pradhan said that the establishment of the C-DAC center in Sambalpur and the modernization of STPI will strengthen the digital and technology ecosystem of the entire Odisha and help in developing India as a global technology hub.
