IIT Kharagpur Announces Rs 35 Crore ‘Benjamin Gupta School of Physical AI’ to Push Artificial Intelligence Beyond Screens

Summary

IIT Kharagpur, together with alumnus‑philanthropist Vinod Gupta and the IITKGP Foundation USA, has signed a tripartite MoU to create the Benjamin Gupta School of Physical AI. The Rs 35 crore initiative aims to develop AI that can understand and act on physical principles, targeting engineering, healthcare, manufacturing and other real‑world sectors.

Key Details

• Funding: Total Rs 35 crore – Rs 12.5 crore from the Gupta family, Rs 10 crore from an anonymous alumnus, the balance from IIT Kharagpur.
• Focus Areas: Physics‑informed machine learning, scientific AI, digital twins, intelligent robotics, autonomous systems, advanced sensing, AI‑enabled experimentation.
• Planned Applications: Advanced manufacturing, energy, agriculture, climate tech, medical devices, intelligent infrastructure, and clinical decision support.
• Academic Programme: Hybrid‑mode master’s degrees, executive education, professional certifications and interdisciplinary modules slated to start in the next academic session, pending approvals.
• Leadership Quote (reported): Prof. Suman Chakraborty, director of IIT Kharagpur, said the school will move AI beyond “black‑box” tools, integrating domain knowledge from engineering, physics and medicine.

Practical Implications

• For Industry: Partnerships with manufacturers, hospitals and startups could provide test‑beds for AI‑driven solutions that respect material properties and safety constraints.
• For Students & Professionals: The school will act as a “finishing school,” equipping engineers, scientists and clinicians with both AI techniques and a deep grasp of the physical systems they work with.
• Verification: The announcement is documented in an IIT Kharagpur press release dated 28 Oct 2026 and the MoU filed with the IITKGP Foundation USA.

Outlook & Unknowns

• The exact curriculum, faculty appointments and start‑date for the first batch remain to be confirmed.
• Success will depend on how quickly research outputs translate into reliable, industry‑ready technologies.

--- *Source: India Today, 28 Oct 2026*