Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) has announced a strategic partnership with IIT Kanpur’s AIRAWAT Research Foundation to deploy artificial intelligence, remote sensing, and digital twin technologies for scalable urban planning focused on resilience, equity, and ecological balance. The collaboration, disclosed on September 3, 2025, comes at a time when India is facing mounting urbanisation pressures and growing climate challenges.
AI-Powered Solutions to Address India’s Rapid Urbanisation Challenges
The initiative will integrate satellite and in situ sensor data to generate high-resolution air quality maps, simulate urban interventions through digital twins, and predict as well as mitigate flooding risks using growth and land use models. By combining AI-driven modelling with remote sensing and data fusion, the programme aims to deliver practical outcomes across mobility, energy, pollution control, and governance—critical areas for sustainable city management.
The urgency of such initiatives is underlined by United Nations projections that by 2050, 68% of the global population will reside in cities. India alone is expected to add more than 416 million urban residents, straining resources and amplifying planning challenges. The TCS–AIRAWAT partnership positions India to lead with data-led, AI-driven approaches for climate resilience and improved quality of life.
TCS–AIRAWAT Alliance Targets Air Quality, Flood Forecasting, and Governance
Voices from the initiative stressed its transformative scope. IIT Kanpur highlighted the role of AI and systems thinking in building climate-conscious ecosystems, while TCS emphasized its strengths in remote sensing, multi-modal data integration, and predictive digital twins for human-centric urban management. AIRAWAT reiterated the focus on AI-based modelling to enhance air quality, forecast floods, optimise green cover, and strengthen governance frameworks.
AIRAWAT, a Section 8 not-for-profit and National Centre of Excellence for AI in Sustainable Cities, focuses on mobility, air quality, energy, digital governance, and waste. TCS, operating in 55 countries with over 600,000 employees, reported consolidated revenues exceeding $30 billion for FY25. The partnership extends a decade-long collaboration under the TCS Co-Innovation Network at IIT Kanpur. Meanwhile, TCS shares reflected market volatility on September 3, 2025, opening at ₹3,129.90 on NSE and trading at ₹3,095.90 by 1:49 PM, down 0.50%. Over the past week, the stock gained 0.07%, rose 1.04% in a month, but declined 7.96% over three months.
Summary:
TCS and IIT Kanpur’s AIRAWAT launched a strategic AI-driven initiative for sustainable urban planning, integrating digital twins, remote sensing, and modelling to tackle air quality, floods, mobility, and governance. Amid rising urbanisation, the partnership strengthens India’s climate resilience efforts, extending their decade-long collaboration, though TCS shares reflected short-term volatility.
