Walmart & IIT-M to accelerate research, skilling in India

Walmart Global Tech (WGT) on Thursday signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras aimed at accelerating research as well as skilling in new areas of technology in India.

The partnership will also focus on training programmes to upskill talent and deliver cutting-edge technology to the retail and eCommerce industry

"WGT and IIT Madras have many areas for collaborative growth such as sustainability, AI, and energy engineering. We are keen to grow this into an impactful partnership to benefit a broad cross-section of stakeholders including students and faculty members of IIT Madras," Prof Mahesh Panchagnula, Dean (Alumni and Corporate Relations), IIT Madras, said in a statement.

In addition, WGT will use space in the IIT Madras Research Park to leverage the broader ecosystem and work with the start-up companies incubated by the varsity. WGT and IIT Madras will also engage in CSR activities, in addition to grants that will be made to support faculty research and students with scholarships and fellowships.

WGT will also undertake sponsoring events, advertisements, and other branding activities to further support IIT Madras. "We are a human-led, tech-empowered company, and our talented associates in India are critical to driving Walmart's global businesses and leading the next retail disruption.

Our association with IIT Madras will help us further empower our teams, collaborate on digital innovation, and strengthen the education ecosystem in India," said Suresh Kumar, Global CTO and CDO, Walmart, in the statement.