German optics and technology major ZEISS on Thursday launched its first innovation hub outside Germany at the IIT Madras Research Park, marking a move to deepen its engagement with India’s research and startup environment.

The Chennai centre will initially have a team of four to five people and focus on early-stage research in areas such as advanced frugal engineering, harsh-environment optics, robotics and fluid dynamics. The technologies developed through the hub could eventually be taken forward as products or solutions, although the company said it was too early to identify specific commercial applications.

ZEISS President and CEO Andreas Pecher said the centre would adopt a different approach from the company’s established operations in Bengaluru, which include medical technology, software and hardware development, as well as manufacturing activities across several ZEISS businesses.

“We want to think about topics that are relevant in 10 years,” Pecher said, outlining the long-term research focus of the Chennai hub.

Unlike a conventional R&D centre driven by a predefined list of priorities from Germany, the new facility will work closely with the IIT Madras facilities to identify technologies that could become relevant to ZEISS’s businesses over the longer term.

The hub will collaborate with IIT Madras departments, including engineering design and computer vision, along with the institute’s incubation cell, startups and its health-tech incubation ecosystem.

Pecher said the research would focus on both technologies relevant to India and innovations that could eventually be developed in India for global markets. The size of the team is expected to increase as projects and research areas take shape.

ZEISS invests around 15% of its revenue in research and development annually, according to Pecher. The company operates across four major business areas: medical technology, consumer markets, industrial quality and research, and semiconductor manufacturing technology.

The company has not disclosed the investment planned for the Chennai hub. Pecher said both investment and headcount would be scaled up based on the projects undertaken by the centre.

The launch comes as India is seeking to build out its semiconductor manufacturing ecosystem. ZEISS supplies equipment used by semiconductor manufacturers, but Pecher said the company currently has no plans to expand its semiconductor equipment R&D operations in India.

Most of ZEISS’s semiconductor equipment R&D and production remains based in Germany, with additional activities in Switzerland and Israel.

The company also declined to provide a fresh fixed target for expanding its India workforce to 5,000, following an earlier announcement on the proposed expansion.

Miguel Gonzalez Diaz, Managing Director of ZEISS India, said there was “not a set number” for future hiring. Expansion, he said, would depend on the requirements of the company’s businesses, including manufacturing.

As Indian enterprises embrace the fourth industrial revolution (Industry 4.0), industrial intelligence—the convergence of AI, IoT, robotics, and big data analytics—is driving a profound shift toward smart factories, optimised operations, and resilient supply chains, said Aveva, which provides industrial software and is part of the Schneider Electric Group.

The company said it was playing ‘a pivotal role’ in this journey by helping organisations transform data into insights that power efficiency, agility, and innovation.

Ajit Kulkarni, Vice President, India Market Leader, Aveva said, “India stands at the forefront of a profound industrial transformation, driven by the dual imperatives of economic growth and sustainability. The challenge is not just adopting new technology but fostering seamless collaboration and building a skilled workforce to leverage it effectively.”

“Industrial intelligence is the key to unlocking the true value of data to achieve India’s national goals. Through Aveva’s solutions, we are enabling Indian enterprises to convert siloed information into actionable insights. This is what will empower them to scale innovation, lead globally, and operate sustainably in a resource-conscious world,” he said.

The company on Thursday (July 25, 2025) hosted Aveva Day India 2025 in Mumbai, bringing together stakeholders across energy, infrastructure, manufacturing, and utilities to discuss how industrial AI and radical collaboration are driving India’s sustainable growth story.

Throughout the event, the company showcased how its end-to-end digital solutions are helping Indian enterprises break data silos, improve efficiency, and build intelligent, connected ecosystems across high-impact sectors.

Chris Lee, Senior Vice President, APAC, Aveva, said, “As businesses rethink their strategies, industrial AI is emerging as the cornerstone of this shift, enabling greater agility, closing skill gaps, and accelerating the transition to cleaner, smarter operations.”

“We are committed to supporting India’s ambition to scale responsibly and become a globally competitive, sustainable industrial hub,” he added.

As India emerges as a global manufacturing and innovation hub, Aveva said it would have a long-term commitment to the country’s digital industrial evolution — empowering businesses to scale responsibly, collaborate deeply, and deliver on the promise of sustainable excellence.