Coimbatore Institute of Technology (CIT) has opened CRANE, its Centre for Research and AI-Native Engineering, a campus-wide initiative meant to turn artificial intelligence from a specialist subject into a working skill for engineers across every branch. The centre was inaugurated on Thursday, 30 October 2026.
The launch was led by chief guest Sukanya, a CIT alumna and Chief Transformation Officer at Tata Technologies, together with Santossh, Managing Trustee, Chairman and Correspondent of CIT Institutions. Alamelu, Chief Academic Officer of CIT Institutions, and Rajeswari, Principal of CIT, were also present.
What CRANE brings to campus
- New AI courses for about 750 students: two industry-oriented courses, “Foundations of Responsible AI Engineering” and “Reliable AI Systems: Design, Test, and Deploy”, focused on applied learning, responsible AI practice and building dependable systems.
- A dedicated CRANE AI Laboratory: a shared space for prototyping, experimentation, collaborative projects, faculty development, student research and industry-sponsored work.
- Trained faculty: according to the institution, 25 faculty members have received specialised training to teach and mentor in the programme.
- AI beyond computer science: CRANE is designed to push AI into mechanical, civil, electrical and electronics, electronics and communication, chemical and allied disciplines, with applications in manufacturing, healthcare, infrastructure, energy, automation and sustainability.
Alamelu said CRANE was set up to prepare students for AI-related roles and that the AI programme would be integrated into all regular programmes, so that graduates meet industry expectations by the time they complete their courses.
An alumni-led AI advisory board
Alongside the centre, CIT has formed an AI Consortium whose advisory board is made up of four alumni. It is chaired by Karthik Duraisamy, Arthur Modine Professor of Engineering and Director of the Michigan Institute for Computational Discovery & Engineering (MICDE) at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, and Founder and Chief Scientist of Geminus.AI. The other members are Ashwin Bharat, CEO of Galent and Founder and Chairman of Revature; Rajesh Rajagopalan, CTO of Winer and Co-Founder of PeerIslands; and Ayyappan Purushothaman, Principal Solutions Architect (AI/ML Infrastructure) at a neo-cloud startup. The board is expected to offer strategic guidance, strengthen industry links and help shape an AI-focused academic and research ecosystem at the institute.
“Reinvent yourselves”
In her address, Sukanya told students that some anxiety about AI and jobs can be healthy if it pushes them to upskill, and urged them to keep reinventing themselves as AI changes work across industries. She also warned that cybersecurity threats are likely to grow sharply with AI and encouraged students to use CRANE to work on such problems.
Santossh told students that top marks alone no longer guarantee the best job or a successful startup; what counts is the ability to apply knowledge, solve problems and innovate. He described AI as a tool that has changed how he makes decisions and one that helps people learn, relearn and unlearn.
Why it matters
As engineering colleges across India rework curricula for the AI era, the more meaningful shift is not adding an AI elective but making AI literacy part of every discipline. CRANE’s cross-branch design, its focus on responsible and reliable AI rather than tools alone, and its alumni-industry advisory model reflect that direction. The real test will be in execution: how much hands-on lab time students get, how deeply AI is woven into core engineering courses outside computer science, and whether industry-sponsored projects translate into employable skills.
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