The i-Tamil Nadu Technology (iTNT) hub, India’s first Emerging and DeepTech Innovation Network, is expected to be launched early next year., said Tamil Nadu Minister of IT & Digital Services T Mano Thangaraj. The IT department is working towards introducing new policies and also revise current policies including the cyber policy to make it more relevant to industry, he added.

“We would continue to explore the possibility of bringing policies aligned to Web 3.0 to support the startups and the overall technology ecosystem in the State, said the Minister.

The iTNT hub will act as the core by connecting the ecosystem of startups working in Emerging and Deeptech areas, with the academic network of around 570 engineering colleges, engaging with researchers and Industry partners to pave the way for innovation, he said at the CII TechNext - Web 3.0 Conference organised by the Confederation of Indian Industry on Wednesday.

State Finance Minister Palanivel Thiaga Rajan in March told the the State Legislative Assembly that the State government would set up the iTNT hub at a cost of ₹54.61 crore. This centre will coordinate efforts to use technology to solve complex challenges.

New opportunities

Meanwhile, a CII-KPMG report on Metaverse and Web 3.0 opportunities said that by bringing in the latest technologies like web 3.0, Metaverse, Artificial Intelligence, machine learning, Tamil Nadu will be able to contribute to India’s growth on a higher rate.

Metaverse, Web 3.0 and related technologies will help propel the overall GSDP by a couple of percentage points (evidenced by research studies) as they boost efficiencies via virtual display and merchandise opportunities, the report said.

All major IT companies in Tamil Nadu are focusing big on metaverse and web 3.0 technologies via metaverse design, development, testing and support services along with 5G, Artificial Intelligence, Internet of Things, quantum computing and blockchain.

The benefits of Industry 4.0 within web 3.0 and metaverse still continue to be relevant. Business procedures and production methods under Industry 4.0 may differ from one company to another. It depends on which of those technologies are given higher priority, used more frequently, and how they impact the current workforce and work processes, the report said.

Tamil Nadu leads all Indian States in ICT-enabled governance, having successfully implemented a number of e-Governance programmes and National e-Governance Plan projects (NeGP), says the release by the Minister at the conference.

With higher production (improved productivity/better ROI), optimisation, mass customisation, increased collaboration & knowledge transfer, agility and flexibility, quality of customer service, ease of doing business and compliance and cost reduction and efficiency Tamil Nadu’s GSDP gets a boost by adopting new gen technologies, the report said.

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