Telangana AI Mission, Capgemini Declare Winners of Academic Grand Challenge on Climate Change

Hyderabad: The Telangana AI Mission, on Friday, announced winners of the nationwide Academic Grand Challenge on Climate Change in association with Capgemini. Telangana AI Mission is an initiative of the Government of Telangana that is powered by NASSCOM. 

The challenge received over 7,500 team entries that comprised over 20,000 students affiliated to 700+ colleges and universities across India. Student participants were expected to build predictive solutions for climate change. For developing the solution, student teams utilized the datasets available on the state’s Open Data Portal and Pollution Control Board.

Launched in January 2023 by T-AIM, student teams were asked to build solutions to predict heat wave occurrences and Air Quality Index (AQI) for 5 cities in Telangana namely Adilabad, Nizamabad, Warangal, Karimnagar, and Khammam.

Student teams from VIT Vellore, VIT Bhopal University, and IIIT Naya Raipur won the top three awards for this challenge. Teams from Indira Gandhi Delhi Technical University for Women; Gayatri Vidya Parishad College of Engineering; Shiv Nadar University Chennai; BV Raju Institute of Technology; Poornima College, Jaipur; Indian Institute of Technology, Madras; and Jadavpur University were among the runners-up. 

Anurag Pratap, Vice President and CSR Leader, Capgemini India, said, “At Capgemini, sustainability is a core value, and we are honoured to have supported this challenge that aligns with our mission. Witnessing the next generation of innovators and problem solvers rise to the occasion, and actively taking steps towards building a more sustainable future for all is truly inspiring. Their innovative ideas and solutions offer hope and motivate us to continue our efforts in the fight against climate change. We hope that their actions will serve as an inspiration for others to join us in our commitment to creating a better and more sustainable world for everyone.”

Speaking during the felicitation ceremony at T-Hub, Shri. Jayesh Ranjan, Principal Secretary, Government of Telangana, said, "Technology has the potential to be a powerful tool in the fight against climate change, and this challenge exemplifies the innovative and creative ways in which AI can be leveraged to address this global challenge. We are inspired by the commitment and dedication shown by these young minds, and I have no doubt that their ideas and solutions will contribute to a more sustainable future for us all.” 

About T-AIM: The Telangana AI Mission is a specialized initiative setup under the auspices of the Emerging Technologies Wing of the Government of Telangana’s IT department, which is assigned with a mandate to make Telangana and Hyderabad the global AI hub in the coming years.