President to launch Kerala's 400 acre IT Park

Kerala government today said it plans to develop the Technocity near here, the IT hub scheduled to be launched by President Ram Nath Kovind on October 27, as the country's biggest futuristic IT park.
The 400 acre IT hub, located at nearby Pallippuram, would focuses on futuristic technologies such as cognitive analytics, fintech, space applications, cyber security, e-mobility and so on, state IT secretary M Sivasankar said.
The President would lay the foundation stone for the first government IT building at Technocity on the day.
The official said the 'Knowledge City' concept planned at Technocity is the big step envisioned towards bringing a paradigm shift in the socio-economic thought process of the southern state.

"Technocity is not just planned as another IT park which provides basic IT infrastructure for IT/ITES companies, but as a Centre of Excellence for frontier technologies that will encourage research and development in upcoming technologies capable of empowering lives of people as envisioned by the Government's latest IT Policy," Sivasankar told a press meet here.
Technopark's Phase 1, 2 and 3 collectively employ over 1,00,000 IT Professionals, he said.

"Once Technocity is operational, we foresee additional 1,00,000 employment opportunities from leading and upcoming IT companies in Kerala especially in the areas of futuristic technologies," the official said.
He also said Kerala continues to have the "cost and congestion advantage" compared to other states in the IT sector.

Asked about the LDF government's IT policy, Sivasankar said its focus is to develop Thiruvananthapuram, Kochi and Kozhikode as the neo-IT destinations of the southern state.
The capital city is being planned to be develop as a hub for Cyber Security, Block Chain, Fintech and Artificial Intelligence, he said.
Hrishikesh Nair, CEO, Kerala IT Parks, said the commercial hub Kochi would focus on Internet of Things (IoT) and Cyberpark in Kozhikode would focus on mobile-based technologies.
"We shall allocate space for the new generation startups at Knowledge City that will also focus on Research and Development," he said.
It would also be developed as a centre of excellence for interacting with big IT companies, academic inclusion and also support in the growth of startup companies, he said.

The total IT exports from the southern state during the Financial Year 2016-17 stood at Rs 12,000 crore, Nair added.
According to officials, the first IT building planned in Technocity is a signature building, with a built-up area of two lakh sq. ft, is expected to be completed by 2019.
It is to accommodate the demand for more office space from a large number of small and medium companies located in Technopark here,the first Electronic/IT park in the country.
Basic infrastructure developments like road, power and water have been completed.
Tata Consultancy Services have already begun work on their campus on 97 acres land in Technocity.

Other organisations such as SunTec, IIITM-K and KASE have already taken land for developing their respective campuses as well.
Organisations like TCS, SunTec, IIITMk, KASE etc have already taken land for development, they added.