TCS to open up AI platform Ignio to third-party players - ETtech

Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) is running controlled experiments on how to open up Ignio, its artificial intelligence platform, to third party developers including rivals to build applications on, as India's largest IT services firm attempts to establish a software brand. The plan for Ignio, launched commercially three years ago, looks a lot like General Electric's strategy around its internet-of-things platform Predix. Companies can use applications built by other IT services firms on the Predix platform. But TCS is working on Ignio's business model, sales and branding strategy to differentiate it from its traditional services model. "Right now, it is a stage where we are doing controlled experiments on how to open it up to everybody. Who can build on it? It is friends and family right now. We will open it up, but we have to learn how to crawl before we start running," said Harrick Vin, global head of Digitate.