Domain-led strategy for growth as AI blurs line between engineering and IT: Tata Technologies CTO

New Delhi, Dec 25 (PTI) In a changing industrial environment where artificial intelligence is blurring the lines between engineering and information technology, Tata Technologies is adopting a "domain-led" strategy to drive growth, according to its CTO Sriram Lakshminarayanan.

In view of the changes, the global product engineering and digital services firm is prioritising its service portfolio while maintaining its core strengths in engineering research and digital enterprise solutions, he told PTI in an interaction.

Lakshminarayanan noted that major technological shifts keep happening over time, such as the cloud and blockchain, which had an impact on industries.

"Now, there is a new wave that is coming, AI, (which is now) at the heart and front and centre of anything that we do. Specific to an automotive or industrial setting, we always looked at it in terms of a siloed approach of engineering, which looked different. IT is looked at differently," he said.

He further said, "What we are seeing now is that the lines are getting blurred".

As a result, he said, the offerings and propositions to the customers are becoming a challenge.

When asked how the company is responding to the challenge, Lakshminarayanan said the company is emphasising its differentiation from competitors on the basis of its "domain knowledge, which becomes the heart of it".

"You cannot just be a technology guy and try to solve all of this, because even with AI, one thing that AI cannot do is the contextualisation of the domain...," he added.

Lakshminarayanan further said, "I think the biggest value proposition that Tata Technologies brings to the table is the domain knowledge and the subject matter expertise that we have, which continues to be the DNA of it".

With the changes that are happening, he said the company has also adopted a different approach towards addressing its customers' requirements by taking a "more of an account view, a customer view".

For a customer, he said, "The best way to organise ourselves is to say what the portfolio of services that we offer for that customer is".

While the base focus of engineering services and digital enterprise solutions for which Tata Technologies is known does not change, he said the company has taken a view on responding to customers' demand of solving their "business problem" in a holistic manner.

In the midst of the changes, he said the company's clients are looking to enhance their customer experience, improve operational efficiency and bring new products faster to the market.

Tata Technologies is embracing the changes and challenges by focusing on its domain expertise and portfolio of services that it offers to its customers, he noted. PTI RKL BAL BAL