Engineering the Future with AI | Entrepreneur

In a rapidly evolving industrial landscape, where the boundaries of design, manufacturing, and aftersales are increasingly blurred by digitalisation, Indian multinational Cyient is placing intelligent engineering at the heart of transformation. Established in 1991 and now employing over 17,000 people globally, Cyient has evolved into a leader in blending deep domain expertise with next-generation technologies like Artificial Intelligence (AI), Generative AI (GenAI), and simulation tools to drive industry-wide innovation.

"Our technology portfolio is designed to embed intelligence across the product, plant, and asset lifecycle," shares K. A. Prabhakaran, Senior Vice President and Chief Technology Officer, Cyient. "We are using AI to accelerate design cycles, optimise manufacturing, increase supply chain visibility, and drive predictive maintenance and aftermarket intelligence."

From aerospace and railways to energy, healthcare, and telecom, Cyient's technology is delivering measurable outcomes. Their AI- powered tools have shortened product development timelines, improved asset uptime, and enhanced customer service through GenAI- driven diagnostics and contextual assistants.

In telecommunications, Cyient automates network planning and fibre deployments, while in healthcare, their CyNet platform aids in precise fetal diagnostics. One notable case is the company's Plant Advisor solution, which has demonstrated a 67 per cent accuracy in recommending efficiency improvements, underscoring the real-world value of AI in operational environments. What keeps Cyient ahead in the game is its strong culture of learning, strategic partnerships, and co-innovation with customers.

"We've trained over 5,000 associates in AI, cloud, and platform technologies," says Prabhakaran. "Our Centres of Excellence, especially the GenAI CoE, serve as catalysts for continuous innovation."

Cyient's collabration with Microsoft under the 'EnGeneer' initiative is another step forward in transforming engineering lifecycles through AI-led automation. The company also actively engages with analyst communities and customers to align its offerings with evolving market needs. Yet, integrating AI into traditional engineering ecosystems isn't without its hurdles especially in highly regulated sectors like aerospace and healthcare.

"The biggest challenge isn't just deploying AI, it's embedding it into complex workflows while ensuring compliance, traceability, and IP protection," explains Prabhakaran. To tackle this, Cyient has established a robust governance framework that includes human- in-the-loop systems, modular deployments for secure data handling, and domain-specific validation gates. "It's this precision and rigour that makes our AI trustworthy and acts as a natural barrier to entry for others," he concludes.