TCS enters strategic research exchange partnership with University of Tokyo
Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) has added a project in japan to its portfolio of international operations, specifically in the form of enabling research in the field of technology and an exchange of personnel in collaboration with the Institute of Industrial Science at the University of Tokyo (IIS, UTokyo).
The agreement comes through a memorandum of understanding signed between the two entities, wherein researchers and scholars from TCS as well as from the University of Tokyo will contribute to enhancing each other’s operations. For TCS, this comes as a strategic move to facilitate its improvement in the industry 4.0 domain.
As explained by the Executive Vice President and Chief Technology Officer at TCS K Ananth Krishnan, “This (building strategic partnerships) is the core idea underpinning our co-innovation network that brings research and technology breakthroughs from academia to meet real-world customer needs.”
TCS has been sparing no expense to ramp up its digital capabilities in recent times. The firm announced last week that it would select 1,000 new entrants to the firm with advanced digital skills, and offer them twice the salary that engineers and software developers usually receive at the entry level.
The move also signifies the latest in TCS’ growing body of international activity. Earlier this year, the firm won a $2 billion contract with US-based insurance company Transamerica, following which the firm ousted Big Four accounting and advisory firm Deloitte to win a lucrative railway contract in Australia.
TCS also recently opened a new delivery centre near Paris, which represents its third centre of the kind in France – the third largest IT services market in Europe. The firm appears to building a presence in key IT markets across the globe, the latest of which is Japan through this latest partnership with the UTokyo.
“The memorandum of understanding (MoU) opens the prospect of TCS and IIS, UTokyo, working together on fundamental research, technology validation and the real-world applications and commercialisation of technologies, commencing in the area of robotics,” said a regulatory statement from TCS.
The Director-General at IIS, Utokyo Toshiharu Kishi added, “We see it as one of our gateways to capitalise the wealth of technological expertise that India’s finest talent has to offer. I have great conviction that IIS’ extensive research in the many fields of engineering, when amplified through the international industry-academia collaboration with TCS and its partner ecosystem, will contribute significantly to society.”
