IIT Kharagpur to Set Up Physical AI School for AI, Robotics and Computational Engineering

IIT Kharagpur will establish Benjamin Gupta School of Physical AI with INR 35 crore investment, focusing on robotics, computational engineering, healthcare and proposed interdisciplinary programmes.

IIT Kharagpur Physical AI School

Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur has announced plans to set up Benjamin Gupta School of Physical AI to promote research and education in artificial intelligence (AI), robotics and computational engineering. IIT Kharagpur has signed a tripartite Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with its alumnus and philanthropist Vinod Gupta and the IITKGP Foundation USA to set up new school.

The proposed school is envisioned as India's first academic institution focused on Physical AI. It aims to bring artificial intelligence and physical sciences together to develop intelligent systems that can understand and interact with the real world. This initiative involves an investment of INR 35 crore.

Of this amount, INR 12.5 crore will be contributed by Vinod Gupta family and anonymous alumnus will contribute INR 10 crore. IIT Kharagpur will provide remaining funds. The investment will support infrastructure for Department of Artificial Intelligence and related interdisciplinary teaching and research activities. The school has been named in memory of Vinod Gupta's late son, Benjamin Gupta.

IIT Kharagpur Physical AI School Research Areas

Benjamin Gupta School of Physical AI will focus on integrating artificial intelligence with physics, engineering, biological systems and scientific knowledge. As per institute's vision, school will focus on several emerging technology areas

• Intelligent robotics and autonomous systems

• Physics-informed machine learning

• Scientific artificial intelligence

• Digital twins and computational engineering

• Advanced sensing technologies

• AI-enabled experimentation

• Advanced manufacturing

• Energy systems and environmental technologies

• Agriculture and healthcare

• Medical devices and intelligent infrastructure

The school will bring together researchers, engineers, AI specialists, medical professionals and industry experts to develop reliable and practical AI-based solutions.

IIT Kharagpur Physical AI School: Proposed Courses

The school is expected to begin academic programmes from the upcoming academic session, subject to the required academic approvals. The proposed offerings include hybrid-mode master's programmes, executive education, professional certification courses and specialised interdisciplinary learning modules.

These programmes are expected to cater to students, researchers, working professionals, industry technologists and graduates from engineering, physical sciences, life sciences and medicine. The institute aims to help professionals combine their existing subject knowledge with modern AI skills.