Archive · 23 Aug 2025
AI to Make Indian Cities Sustainable, Says IIT Kanpur Professor
Imagine making cities better using smart technology, like having a super-smart assistant!
Professor Tripathi is working on this.
He uses AI to watch the air, make traffic flow better, and predict how much energy we'll use.
His team builds digital models of cities to test new ideas.
They want to make cities more eco-friendly.
The project is supported by the government but aims to earn money by selling its tech.
The goal is to solve real problems, like making sure we have clean air and efficient transport, with the help of AI.
More data is needed from the government to make these AI projects even more useful.
IIT Kanpur professor Sachchida Nand Tripathi discusses AI's role in making Indian cities sustainable.
Tripathi leads the AI Centre of Excellence for Sustainable Cities, focusing on environmental monitoring, urban mobility, energy forecasting, and governance.
The AI Centre develops digital twins for infrastructure monitoring, uses AI to optimize transportation, and forecasts energy consumption.
The AI Centre aims to be financially self-sustaining through technology licensing and providing services to cities.
Tripathi highlights the need for more data sharing from the government to improve AI model development in India.
- Who
- Sachchida Nand Tripathi, Dean of Kotak School of Sustainability and Project Director of the AI Centre.
- What
- Professor Sachchida Nand Tripathi discusses using AI for sustainable cities.
- When
- Ongoing, with the AI Centre of Excellence for Sustainable Cities established recently.
- Where
- Focusing on cities in India, with the AI Centre based at IIT Kanpur.
- Why
- To make Indian cities more sustainable through AI-driven solutions.
Challenges
Opportunities
Data Availability
Challenges
Fragmented and inaccessible datasets hinder AI model development.
Opportunities
Making more data available for public-good applications is vital for AI model development and global use.
- Professor
- Sachchida Nand Tripathi
- Affiliation
- IIT Kanpur
- Key Focus Areas
- Air Quality Monitoring, Urban Mobility, Energy Forecasting, Governance
- AI Centre Funding
- Rs 310 crore (Government of India grant)
- AI Centre Goal
- Become financially self-sustaining