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India can leverage its robust and secure digital public infrastructure to emerge as a force to reckon with in the global manufacturing space, says Rahul Mahajan, who is the CTO ofdigital engineering major Nagarro.In an interaction with businessline, Mahajan also shared his views and insights on recent developments in the field of quantum computing, cloud governance and the impact of AI technology, among others. Excerpts:

5G is finally here. How do you see it changing the IoT, Edge Computing and Cloud landscape? And what does Industry 4.0 mean for India, which is nurturing ambitions of becoming the manufacturing hub of the world?

5G has started disrupting the technology landscape by enabling faster and more reliable communication between devices and systems. With its ultra-low latency and super-high bandwidth capabilities, 5G can support multiple devices, allowing for the development of more complex and sophisticated IoT applications. India is currently in a fortunate position to possess a resilient and secure digital public infrastructure, which is bolstered by key pillars such as the Unified Payments Interface (UPI), Aadhaar, Goods and Services Tax Network (GSTN), Digital Locker, widespread mobile phone adoption, and the National Optical Fibre Network (NOFN). Digital infrastructure plays a fundamental role in driving high growth and a robust economy, fuelled by strong domestic consumption. India is currently striving to establish itself as a dominant force and a global leader in the manufacturing sector. To attain high levels of efficiency in manufacturing, it is crucial to adopt industrial-grade public/private 5G networks, IoT, Edge Computing and cloud-based data analytics, which can effectively enhance operations and promote the transition towards smarter factories (Industry 4.0). With the help of real-time data processing, machine learning, and AI, smart factories can improve quality control, reduce downtime, and increase overall efficiency.

Along with A1, quantum computing is expected to drive the next wave of innovation and enhance productivity across multiple sectors, with some experts saying 2026 or 2027 will be the year when the tech would reach critical maturity. Are we on track for this?

Though quantum computing can be a disruptive technology, it is still an emerging technology. The development of quantum computers is a complex process that requires overcoming several technical hurdles such as decoherence, error correction and scalability. With the current pace of innovation, we hope to achieve Quantum Advantage which is a significant improvement in quantum algorithm runtime for practical cases over the best classical algorithm by the year 2026.

Governments and organisations worldwide are heavily investing in the research and development of quantum computing. For instance, India has launched a National Mission on Quantum Technologies and Applications aimed at advancing quantum technologies in the country. Additionally, India recently revealed a Quantum Communication Network to facilitate secure transmission. Several organisations, including Nagarro and IIT-Madras, are conducting research to develop new solutions using quantum computing.

Apart from encryption, early research in quantum computing has shown potential in areas such as portfolio and asset planning in finance; protein folding and new drug molecule discovery in healthcare; and optimization-related solutions in industries such as retail and manufacturing. In my opinion, although India has made some progress, it should intensify its efforts in quantum computing research. Collaborative work between academia and the corporate industry could lead to tangible results. Encouraging new research papers, patents, and start-ups in this field would also be beneficial.

Whats your take on multi-cloud and hybrid-cloud strategy? How is the model evolving across the world and in India?

Multi-cloud refers to the practice of using more than one cloud provider to meet different requirements, while hybrid-cloud refers to the combination of on-premises infrastructure with one or more cloud providers. A multi-cloud strategy provides greater flexibility and opportunities to reduce cost, reduce the risk of downtime and mitigate the risk of vendor lock-in.

On the enterprise computing side and applicable in the Indian context communications, media, services, and banking/insurance industries are among the top contributors to carbon emissions. There is a growing trend in India and around the world towards prioritising ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) considerations and sustainable practices in all aspects of business, including cloud computing. An effective approach is to migrate workloads to the cloud providers where green energy usage is encouraged. We see hyperscalers investing significantly to become greener through measures such as sourcing green energy themselves.

Has the cloud governance model matured? What are the existing and emerging challenges and how do you plan to address them, particularly issues around data security and privacy?

The cloud governance model has been improving over time. Opportunities to further improve governance revolve largely around data security and data privacy. One critical aspect of governance is ensuring that data on the cloud is protected, including encrypting data at rest and in transit, controlling access to data, and monitoring for unauthorised access. Cloud service providers typically have their security measures in place, but it is still important for organisations to have their security policies and procedures to ensure that data is protected.

Another aspect is ensuring compliance with regulatory requirements, such as Indian data protection laws, GDPR or HIPAA. Organizations must ensure that they are following the appropriate regulations when storing and processing data in the cloud. Most organisations are yet to operationalise a clear strategy for progressive consent management, data security operations and use-case-specific data activation. To address these challenges, organizations are exploring best practices, including agile data audits, multi-factor authentication, muti-level encryption, data privacy and security-focused vendor contracts, and enabling a chief data office.

Thanks to ChatGPT, AI has caught the imagination of everyone. How do you see AI improving and optimizing data centre performance?

The recent advancements in AI, particularly in the field of large language models and generative AI, have created a significant potential for enhancing data centre efficiency. With the help of language models, it is now possible to gain unique insights into server logs and network traffic, which can assist data centre solution engineers in developing customised strategies for optimising performance. Additionally, generative AI, such as the technology used in ChatGPT, can be utilised to generate simulated data security scenarios, which can aid in identifying potential security risks proactively.

One of our clients is utilising AI for anomaly detection to prevent excessive billing by monitoring resource consumption and usage. Moreover, we have implemented AI algorithms that proactively adjust server parameters for cooling and power usage to improve energy efficiency. AI is enabling newer ways to solve these problems and we are super excited about the future possibilities.

Link:
India should intensify its efforts in quantum computing research - BusinessLine