CII Karnataka to drive AI-led growth, boost MSME and sunrise sectors

The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), Karnataka announced on Thursday that it will focus on AI led transformation, sunrise sectors and MSMEs capacity building to enhance the state's competitiveness on the global stage.

Our focus is to create a resilient and agile ecosystem that empowers industries to lead in strategic areas like semiconductors, design-led manufacturing, AI-powered production, and clean energy, said Rabindra Srikantan, Chairman of CII Karnataka and Founder and Managing Director, ASM Technologies Ltd.

He was addressing a press briefing organised to discuss CII's roadmap to the future.

A key pillar of this journey is the expansion of Global Capability Centres (GCCs), which are rapidly evolving from support hubs to strategic innovation engines across sectors, he added.

According to him, CII Karnataka is working closely with government, academia, startups, and global partners to catalyse investment, foster deep-tech capabilities, and fast-track industrial transformation.

Guruprasad Mudlapur, Vice Chairman of CII and President, Bosch Group in India & Managing Director Bosch Limited said CII is working to expand competitiveness across regions -- Beyond Bengaluru -- and deepen collaboration between government, industry, and academia.

CII Karnataka is committed to accelerating inclusive and future-ready growth by strengthening competitiveness, ease of doing business, building trust, and enabling MSMEs across the state. We will be focusing on infrastructure, policy simplification, and technology adoption to drive industrial resilience, he added.

The plan, he added, is to equip businesses, especially MSMEs in Tier 2 and 3 cities through structured mentoring, sustainability initiatives, and skilling platforms.