States » EastPosted at: Oct 26 2026 7:47PM


Bengal: IIT Kharagpur plans India’s first physical AI school with Rs 35-crore investment

Midnapore, Oct 26 (UNI) In a major push to advance India’s artificial intelligence capabilities, IIT Kharagpur has announced a Rs 35-crore initiative to establish the country’s first dedicated School of Physical AI, seeking to move artificial intelligence beyond digital applications into the world of engineering, medicine, agriculture and industrial technologies.
The proposed Benjamin Gupta School of Physical AI will be established through a tripartite memorandum of understanding involving IIT Kharagpur, distinguished alumnus and philanthropist Vinod Gupta, and the IITKGP Foundation USA. The initiative aims to integrate artificial intelligence with the fundamental laws of physics and real-world engineering systems, enabling intelligent machines to interact with and respond to their physical surroundings.
The project will receive Rs 12.5 crore from the Vinod Gupta family and Rs 10 crore from an alumnus who wishes to remain anonymous. IIT Kharagpur will contribute the remaining amount. The investment will support dedicated infrastructure for the Department of Artificial Intelligence and associated interdisciplinary academic and research activities.
Unlike conventional AI systems that primarily analyse data and generate predictions, Physical AI seeks to combine computational intelligence with physical principles, real-world sensing, experimentation and intelligent control. The proposed school will focus on areas including robotics, autonomous systems, digital twins, advanced manufacturing, energy, climate technologies, agriculture, healthcare and intelligent infrastructure.
The initiative comes amid growing interest in developing AI systems that can operate reliably in complex physical environments, where safety, material behaviour, biological processes and engineering constraints are critical.
“Artificial intelligence has transformed the way we process information. Its next great leap will be in transforming the way we understand, engineer and interact with the physical world,” IIT Kharagpur director Prof. Suman Chakraborty said.
He said the institute aimed to move beyond treating AI as a black-box solution by bringing together artificial intelligence and domain-specific expertise. Engineers, scientists and medical professionals would need to understand how computational intelligence could be combined with the underlying principles of their respective disciplines to develop reliable and explainable technologies.
The school is also expected to introduce a new educational model, with hybrid-mode master's programmes, executive education, professional certifications and specialised interdisciplinary courses planned from the upcoming academic session, subject to the requisite academic approvals.
The programmes will target students, researchers, working professionals and graduates from engineering, physical sciences, life sciences and medicine. The institute envisages the school as a finishing school that will help professionals integrate AI capabilities with their existing disciplinary knowledge.
For Vinod Gupta, a member of IIT Kharagpur's 1967 graduating class, the initiative also carries a deeply personal significance. The school will commemorate his late son, Benjamin Gupta, who died at the age of 28 while pursuing a joint JD/MBA programme at The George Washington University.
Gupta's philanthropic association with his alma mater dates back to 1985. His earlier contributions helped establish the Vinod Gupta School of Management in 1992, the first business school in the IIT system, and the Rajiv Gandhi School of Intellectual Property Law in 2001.
“I hope this school will inspire generations of young minds to pursue excellence, push the boundaries of technology, and use their knowledge to make the world a better place,” Gupta said.
The institute intends to develop a collaborative ecosystem involving industry, healthcare institutions, research laboratories, start-ups and international partners. A joint steering committee will coordinate the project and review its progress.
The larger ambition is to strengthen India's ability not merely to use AI tools but to develop indigenous technologies that combine computational intelligence with scientific understanding and practical applications. UNI BG NST CDS
Tags: #Bengal: IIT Kharagpur plans India’s first physical AI school with Rs 35-crore investment
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