New York: On Feb. 12, 2026, in Delhi, IIT Bombay and Columbia University signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in the presence of Minister of Education Dharmendra Pradhan, to establish the Columbia–IIT Bombay AI for Manufacturing Center, a joint research and translation center aimed at building robust, scalable, and human-centric AI systems for real-world manufacturing.
This Center will address all areas of manufacturing, including semiconductors, robotics, industrial manufacturing, and process industries such as pharmaceuticals, food processing, refining and petrochemicals, construction and infrastructure development, as well as transport and logistics. Many industry partners are in the process of joining the center, which is now the fifth AI center to be initiated by India’s Ministry of Education.
“As a School with a global reach, we are excited to partner with IIT Bombay to co-develop solutions that will have a major impact in India and elsewhere,” said Shih-Fu Chang, dean of Columbia Engineering. “Many of Columbia Engineering’s research efforts, particularly in AI and data science, align directly with opportunities for innovation in India. We look forward to seeing this collaboration translate into real-world results.”
Leveraging the complementary strengths of Columbia and IIT Bombay in various domains such as foundational AI, optimization, manufacturing and process engineering, the Center will develop end-to-end, interoperable industrial AI infrastructure that addresses shop-floor realities in manufacturing, such as legacy equipment, noisy data, real-time constraints, and multilingual workforces.
Through close engagement with industry partners, the Center will deliver applied research, customized solutions, talent development, and startup translation, while releasing foundational datasets, models, and interfaces as public goods to strengthen India’s varied manufacturing ecosystem, including Micro-, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs).
Leading the delegations from IIT Bombay and Columbia University were IIT Bombay Director Shireesh Kedare and Columbia University Senior Vice Provost Soulaymane Kachani, and the initiative's leaders, Vishal Misra, vice dean for computing and AI at Columbia Engineering, and Mani Bhushan, professor of chemical engineering, IIT Bombay.
“I was thrilled to be here in India to establish this AI-focused Center with IIT Bombay and to have the support of the Ministry of Education,” said Misra, who is also the RKS Family Professor of Computer Science at Columbia Engineering. “We are seeing major transformations happening in this growing manufacturing hub, and it’s clear that educational institutions, government, and industry must work together to craft solutions that are both innovative and socially responsible.”
The signing ceremony comes amid increased investment in AI at Columbia University. Columbia Engineering recently announced a new master’s degree program in artificial intelligence, available in both on-campus and cohort-based online formats. Last year, the School also announced a new minor in AI for undergraduate students.
The new AI for Manufacturing Center represents Columbia’s ongoing engagement with partners in India. In January, Dean Chang and Professor Misra met with Pradhan in Delhi to discuss India-focused collaborations and opportunities. The visit included a special panel event at Columbia’s Global Center in Mumbai on how AI is driving innovation in healthcare and finance.
