Indian multinational corporation Wipro, in collaboration with the National Association of Software and Services Companies (Nasscom), will be setting up a platform to train students in emerging technologies -- artificial intelligence (AI), data science, internet of things (IoT) and cyber securities. Wipro has decided to take up the initiative under its corporate social responsibility (CSR) programme, TalentNext, that aims to enhance the quality of engineering education in India by training college faculties and academic leaders, who will later train students. The platform, set up by Wipro and Nasscom, will be looking to train 10K students from over 20 engineering colleges in India. With this platform, the duo wants to build a talent pool of students certified by Wipro and Nasscom and provide them with greater job opportunities. Wipro's Chairman Premji, in a press release, said that the platform will bring together content and people, alongside the focus on curation and learning at one's own pace.

On 17 November, the first edition of the Mint Visionaries series, which seeks to delve into the minds of people inspiring a new future, was kicked off with entrepreneur-philanthropist Bill Gates, who is also the co-chair of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, sharing his thoughts with Wipro Ltd chairman Rishad Premji. The two discussed the challenges of mitigating climate change, eliminating malnutrition, and improving the health and education infrastructure, besides the role of technology, such as artificial intelligence, for social inclusion, something Gates considers a mission statement. Rishad Premji: Climate change will be one of the defining challenges of the 21st century--the impact of weather events, rising sea level, islands getting flooded. It will affect the way people live and potentially impact health and mortality. There is a huge implication of climate change. I know you personally and the Gates Foundation is spending a lot on mitigation--on how to reduce carbon emission. I know you are spending time on breakthrough energy ventures in your personal capacity, investing in technology that can pay off, as well as around adaptation. What are you personally, and through Gates Foundation, doing in these areas? And, what can we do to learn how to leverage science and technology, as governments and as citizens, to be more informed about climate change and its impact, considering that we often have this debate on whether it is real. And, what can come out of it? Bill Gates: I am actually writing a book about climate change.