From Our Special Correspondent

Daijiworld Media Network

Davos (Switzerland), Jan 18: Belgian multi-national brewing company, Ab InBev is to invest Rs 400 crore to expand its brewery operations in Karnataka, according to Karnataka’s Industries Minister M B Patil, who is leading a delegation from the State at the annual World Economic Forum summit in Davos of Switzerland.

Ab InBev India, which has a robust presence in Karnataka, has evinced keenness for a $50 million (Rs 400 crore) investment to enhance and expand their brewery operations in the state, the minister said.

Patil held discussions with top executives of Ab InBev, who indicatged their desire. The company which features a state-of-the-art brewery in Mysuru and a Global Capability Centre situated in Whitefield, Bengaluru, has intended to further its operations in Karnataka.

The other high-profile meetings on day 3 of the event included discussions with leading companies such as Genatri, HP Enterprise, HCL Technologies, NTT Data, Cisco, Swiggy, Volvo Cars, and others.

Gentari for Rs 33k investment in Mangaluru

According to the Minister, Gentari which has already signed for a Green Hydrogen facility in Mangaluru for Rs 33,000 crore identifying the State as a pivotal market for renewable endeavours, particularly ammonia, aims to capitalize on the state's abundant natural terrain delta.

In addition to expressing interest in exploring pumped storage project opportunities in Karnataka, leveraging the region's geographical advantages, Gentari representatives said the company was eager to collaborate with the State Government on these initiatives.

NTT Data company which has invested $900 million across its group in Karnataka and plans to further invest $2 billion in the upcoming years reiterated its commitment to achieving 100% renewable energy usage by the year 2030.

During the talks, M B Patil assured the company of providing a reliable power supply for the seamless operation of its data centres.

Further, NTT and the state expressed their mutual commitment to collaboratively increase power procurement from renewable sources.

HP Enterprise which currently employs 8,000 individuals in Karnataka out of its 15,000-strong workforce across India stated that the two new state-of-the-art buildings at Mahadevapura (Whitefield) would be unveiled soon.

This location is set to become the largest concentration of HP facilities globally, nearly double the size of its next biggest site.

The Minister informed that as part of its commitment to the "Made in India" campaign, the state has been in discussions with HP’s vendor for setting up a manufacturing facility of Servers in Mysore amounting to a turnover of US $ 1 Billion.

In addition, HP is considering placing its global leadership in Karnataka, recognizing it as the hub for majority value addition.

The Minister said that HCL which has the majority of its intellectual property registered in Bengaluru, is poised to launch over 25 products, addressing governance solutions and utilizing artificial intelligence for risk assessment in industries, commerce, and business.

Cisco, which houses the largest facility outside the USA in Bengaluru, recognizes a significant opportunity in deploying video equipment across global meeting rooms.

Cisco is actively promoting women in cybersecurity and has been keen to partner with the Karnataka government. The collaboration aims to train cybersecurity trainers, organize substantial conferences on cybersecurity and support the state's cybersecurity policy development. Cisco is exploring the possibility of becoming a founding partner of the CySecK, COE for cyber security (IISc CoE) as well.

Rapido, an investee and affiliate company of Swiggy, expressed its eagerness to collaborate with the government, particularly the metro department. The collaboration aims to foster partnerships to contribute to the enhancement of urban mobility and transportation services.

The representatives of Volvo Cars discussed GOK's insights on vendor and cluster development. Volvo perceives plug-in hybrids as the future of India's automotive industry, envisioning a transformative impact that aligns with the evolving preferences and sustainability goals, the Minister explained.

Kartikeya Sharma, president, Craig Katerberg, Chief Legal and Corporate Affairs Officer of Ab InBev India, Tengku Taufik, President of Petronas, Chairman of Gentari, Jeetu Patel, EVP & General Manager of CISCO, and Balasubramanian Kalyan Kumar, Global Chief Technology Officer, HCL were part of the talks.

Karnataka’s Additional Chief Secretary to Chief Minister L K Atheeq, Principal Secretary of Industry Department S. Selvakumar, ITBT Principal Secretary Ekroop Kaur, industry Commissioner Gunjan Krishna, and KIADB CEO Dr. Mahesh were present.