Kyndryl Expands AI Training in India
IT infrastructure services provider Kyndryl announced an expansion of its social impact programs in India. The company is committing to train an additional 50,000 students and 30,000 youth with AI skills. The initiative focuses on government employees, students, and young people to bolster AI skilling across the country.
- This initiative is part of a larger $2.25 billion investment Kyndryl announced in August 2025 to advance AI capabilities and digital talent across India. - The program for students will pilot in the cities of Varanasi and Ayodhya, specifically targeting PM SHRI and Navodaya government schools to train 50,000 students and 1,000 teachers over two years. - For government employees, Kyndryl will integrate its "AI for Governance" courses into the national Karmayogi iGOT Platform, a digital learning hub for civil servants, focusing on AI fundamentals and cyber safety. - This effort aligns with India's national AI strategy, which is driven by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) to foster innovation and adoption for social impact. - The initiative addresses a critical skills gap; while 80% of Indian firms prioritize AI, only 26% have trained their workforce on AI tools. Projections show the country's AI talent demand-supply gap could reach 53% by 2026. - As part of its broader investment, Kyndryl is also establishing an AI Innovation Lab in Bengaluru to co-create solutions with Indian enterprises, mirroring its similar labs in the UK and Singapore. - This project builds on Kyndryl's other social impact programs in India, including "Cyber Rakshak," an initiative launched with a government ministry to train 100,000 women in rural areas in cybersecurity. - Kyndryl has a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with India's Ministry of Commerce & Industry to apply AI to the country's "Ease of Doing Business" initiative, aiming to help with regulatory reform.
