Noida/Lucknow: Uttar Pradesh is strengthening its focus on future-ready skills and sustainable industrial development with the inauguration of a Green Skills and Applied Artificial Intelligence (AI) Centre of Excellence at Gautam Buddha University, Noida.
Sunil Kumar Sharma, Cabinet Minister for IT and Electronics, Uttar Pradesh, inaugurated the centre on Monday. It has been established through a collaboration involving the 1M1B Foundation, MeitY Startup Hub and Microsoft, under the guidance of the state’s Department of IT and Electronics.
The centre aims to equip young people with practical skills in green manufacturing, industrial sustainability and applied AI, enabling them to contribute to the state’s expanding industrial and technology ecosystem.
The facility will provide training in AI applications for improving energy and resource efficiency, optimising industrial processes, reducing waste, strengthening quality control and supporting data-driven decision-making. It will also focus on green skills related to renewable energy, electric mobility and resource-efficient manufacturing.
Moving beyond classroom-based learning, the centre will offer practical projects, mentoring, internships and entrepreneurship opportunities.
Addressing the inauguration, Minister Sunil Kumar Sharma said the initiative would prepare young people for emerging industry requirements and the growing role of technology and AI.
He urged students to use the platform to develop innovative ideas, create useful products and upgrade their skills according to industry needs. He emphasised that the government’s objective was not merely to make young people employable but also to encourage them to become job creators and entrepreneurs who could contribute to the development of the state and the country.
Manju Dhasmana, Senior Director – Elevate CSR at Microsoft, described the centre as an important step towards positioning Uttar Pradesh in the AI sector and preparing it for the future economy. She said the initiative reflected Microsoft Elevate’s ‘AI + Jobs’ approach.
The Noida facility is part of a national network of five Green Skills and Applied AI Centres of Excellence being developed by 1M1B and Microsoft in collaboration with MeitY Startup Hub. Along with centres in Bengaluru, Lucknow, Hyderabad and Ahmedabad, the network aims to connect one lakh young people with applied AI and green skills by 2030.
The initiative is expected to strengthen Uttar Pradesh’s position as a destination for manufacturing, electronics and emerging technologies while preparing young talent to contribute to sustainable industrial growth.
The inauguration ceremony was attended by Gautam Buddha University Vice-Chancellor Prof. Rana Pratap Singh, Dean Prof. Rajiv Varshney, Microsoft’s Senior Director Manju Dhasmana, 1M1B Foundation Founder and Chief Mentor Manav Subodh, along with senior representatives from the government, academia and industry and young participants.
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