Hyderabad: Coal and Mines minister G Kishan Reddy said India is now a “global capital of digital talent”, with software services exports “nearing $2.5 billion”, and Hyderabad moved “from IT destination to innovation powerhouse”.“Hyderabad is not just coding for the world, it is shaping the future of the world,” he said, pointing out that Hyderabad can become “one of the AI capitals of Asia”, while speaking at the annual summit and awards conducted by the Hyderabad Software Enterprises Association (HYSEA).Minister G Kishan Reddy urged industry to invest in R&D, mentor start-ups, partner with universities, and expand innovation to tier-2 and tier-3 cities.He also pointed to the surge in digital payments, saying, “UPI processes nearly 18 billion transactions every month”, accounting for “almost 50% of world real-time digital payments”.Reddy said the next decade will be driven by “artificial intelligence, quantum computing, cybersecurity, blockchain governance, semiconductor design and green data centres”, and stressed the need for AI to be “ethical, secure, inclusive”. Citing PM Modi’s vision, he called for a “sovereign AI ecosystem” and “Atmanirbhar across the AI value chain”. As part of the day-long event, HYSEA also presented its lifetime achievement award to serial entrepreneur and investor Srinivasa Raju Chintalapati (Srini Raju), Chairman, iLABS Group, for his contribution to entrepreneurship, venture investment, and development of India’s innovation ecosystem. Industry awards were given in recognition of excellence in exports, growth, employment generation, and women workforce advancement.On the occasion, HYSEA also unveiled a coffee table book, “Making IT Happen”, developed with The Times of India, chronicling Hyderabad’s IT journey. It also released the refreshed 2nd edition of the Scale@Hyderabad Global Technology Destination Report with the govt of Telangana, KPMG in India, CBRE and Aon, alongside a PwC knowledge report on how IT and GCC organisations in Telangana are advancing AI capabilities.Speakers included Gartner’s Ganesh Ramamoorthy, Cognizant India President–Global Operations and CMD Rajesh Varrier, Bharat Biotech founder Dr Krishna Ella, PwC India Emerging Tech Partner Rajesh Dhuddu, Ananth Technologies founder Dr Subba Rao Pavuluri, Forrester’s Ashutosh Sharma, Avasant’s Akshay Khanna, and Sailaja Josyula.
