Intel India, SINE-IIT Bombay join hands to form Plugin Alliance

Intel India on Thursday said it has collaborated with Society for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (SINE)-IIT Bombay to launch Plugin Alliance that will focus on accelerating Industry 4.0 transformation in the country.

The alliance brings together members representing large enterprises, small and medium enterprises, technology solution providers, systems integrators, startups and the ecosystem (including funding partners, relevant incubators, government and industry bodies), a statement said.

It currently has 53 members, including 25 startups. Its roadmap includes collaborating with other global bodies focused on Industry 4.0 as well, the statement added.

‘Plugin Alliance aims to advance and scale emerging technology solutions, spanning artificial intelligence (AI), machine vision, augmented reality/virtual reality (AR/VR), robotics, cybersecurity, 5G and edge, advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) and mobility and other future emerging technologies to help accelerate digital transformation,’ it said.

With ‘Making Industries Intelligent’ as its motto, Plugin Alliance’s focus areas include increasing awareness and enabling the adoption of Industry 4.0 among larger enterprises and SMEs; identifying and exploring current and future Industry 4.0 solutions; and accelerating startups to develop market-ready solutions.

The intent is to build India as a brand for Industry 4.0 solutions and enhancing the attractiveness of Indian manufacturing.

‘With digitalisation taking centre stage across industries and businesses, Intel remains committed to partnering with the India ecosystem to drive digital transformation.

“Plugin Alliance brings together the key constituents of the ecosystem on one platform to find, innovate, build, adapt and scale smart industrial solutions,’ Intel Foundry Services vice president and Intel India Country Head Nivruti Rai said.

As India enters the 75th year of independence, the launch of this initiative marks the beginning of a journey to leverage technology, transforming India into a global hub for smart industrial solutions, and enhancing the competitiveness of our industries on a global level, she added.

The Plugin Accelerator programme, which is now a part of Plugin Alliance, will be available to member startups.

The accelerator will draw on the domain, technical and business mentors from within the alliance member community and look at external mentors based on need.

It will have a rolling admission process for early and growth-stage startups that offer emerging and disruptive use cases to cater to the needs of the ecosystem for Industry 4.0 acceleration. PTI