Andhra govt, tech majors explore collaborations for digital transformation

Amaravati, Aug 6 (PTI) Andhra Pradesh government and tech majors Google, YouTube and Alphabet companies, on Tuesday explored strategic collaborations to accelerate the state's technological advancement and digital transformation.

Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, YouTube chief executive Neal Mohan, Google Asia Pacific head Sanjay Gupta and others participated in a video conference to catapult the state's digital journey.

"The focus of the meeting was to identify opportunities where the state and tech leaders could collaborate. Discussions included digital infrastructure enhancement, skill development, and leveraging technology for efficient governance," said an official release.

During the deliberations, Naidu underscored that the southern state is dedicated to fostering a thriving environment for technological innovation.

"Andhra Pradesh is on a trajectory to become India's digital epicentre, and we are enthused about the prospects of partnering with global pioneers like Google and YouTube," he said.

Earlier, the CM noted that the state government is exploring the possibility of setting up a YouTube academy in the state to foster futuristic technologies with local partners.

"Delighted to connect with YouTube global CEO Neal Mohan and Google APAC head, Sanjay Gupta online today. We discussed setting up a YouTube Academy in Andhra Pradesh in collaboration with local partners," said Naidu in a post in 'X'.

He highlighted that the collaboration will harness futuristic technologies such as Artificial Intelligence, and content development, skill development and certification programmes.

Beyond the academy, Andhra Pradesh government and the Alphabet companies agreed to delve deeper into identified opportunities while Google is poised to ink a pact called 'AI for Andhra Pradesh, Powered by Google'.

This comprehensive deal encompasses AI applications in agriculture, healthcare and sustainability, along with skill development, startup ecosystem, AI workforce cultivation, AI-driven governance and support to MSMEs through digital credit.

Naidu noted that they discussed avenues to provide technical support for the media city initiative in the greenfield capital of Amaravati. PTI STH KH