DAVOS : With this expansion, India will host three such centres, adding to the existing facilities in Mumbai and Telangana. The new centres will also be set up in France, the UK and the UAE, further widening the Forum’s global Fourth Industrial Revolution Network.
Launched by the WEF in 2017, the network serves as a platform for multi-stakeholder collaboration, bringing together governments, industry and experts to ensure that emerging technologies deliver societal benefits while minimising risks. The network currently includes centres across Europe, the Middle East, Asia and the Americas.
According to the WEF, the newly announced centres will focus on critical areas such as artificial intelligence innovation, the energy transition, cyber resilience and frontier technologies. Each centre will work closely with governments and industry to develop practical policy frameworks, run pilot projects, address regional priorities and strengthen international cooperation.
“The launch of five new Centres for the Fourth Industrial Revolution reflects the value of bringing governments, industry and experts together around shared technology challenges,” said Borge Brende, President and CEO of the World Economic Forum. “By contributing local and regional insights, partners strengthen a global effort to advance emerging technologies responsibly.”
The Andhra Pradesh centre, established in partnership with the state government, will be known as the Centre for Energy and Cyber Resilience. It will promote innovation-led approaches to the energy transition while enhancing cyber resilience across industries. Through pilots, consultations and knowledge exchange, the centre aims to develop scalable solutions covering green energy systems, cybersecurity strategies and workforce development.
Welcoming the initiative, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu said the partnership reflects the state’s commitment to building capacity in areas such as energy security, cyber resilience, trusted digital systems and talent development at scale.
The WEF said the addition of these centres will further strengthen the global Fourth Industrial Revolution Network, which already includes centres in countries such as Azerbaijan, Colombia, Germany, Israel, Malaysia, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, the United States, Ukraine and Vietnam.
India is set to become a major player in the Fourth Industrial Revolution as the World Economic Forum announces five new centres, including three in India. These centres will address critical areas like AI and cyber resilience, working with governments and industries to develop policy frameworks and pilot projects, enhancing the global network's reach and impact.