Davos/Hyderabad, Jan 22 (.) Telangana’s push to emerge as a global AI hub received a major boost at the World Economic Forum (WEF) 2026 in Davos, as the Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy-led ‘Telangana Rising’ delegation signed key Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) to strengthen AI skilling, healthcare innovation and startup opportunities.
As part of the initiative, Telangana signed an MoU with Pearson, the UK-based multinational education and publishing company, to support AI skilling and credentialing in the state. Pearson expressed interest in expanding its presence in Telangana and will support AI initiatives for the proposed Global AI Academy, being set up under the Telangana AI Innovation Hub (TAIH).
Under the MoU, Pearson will contribute through its expertise in curriculum design, learning content, assessment frameworks, and globally recognised credentialing, subject to mutually agreed commercial arrangements.
Chief Minister Revanth Reddy said Telangana aims to become a state with future-ready skilled talent by training youth in artificial intelligence and congratulated the delegation on securing the partnership.
IT & Industries Minister D Sridhar Babu welcomed the development and stressed the need for a full-fledged ecosystem to support Telangana’s plans for building an AI City in Hyderabad. “Telangana hosts all the Big Tech companies. We have the talent, ecosystem and infrastructure to be the epicentre of AI,” he said.
Special Chief Secretary (ITE&C and Industries) Sanjay Kumar said the government will work closely with Pearson in the coming years to strengthen Telangana’s high-skilled talent base and assured that necessary clearances will be facilitated for speedy implementation.
In another major collaboration, Telangana signed an MoU with AI CoLab — the Collaborative Center for Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare Research and Education of Georgetown University — to work on applied research and capacity-building initiatives in AI, particularly aligned to the healthcare sector. The partnership will focus on training programmes in AI and data science, along with collaborative research in healthcare, public health and life sciences.
The delegation also inked an MoU with the Dubai Multi Commodities Centre (DMCC) to explore opportunities for Telangana startups by providing exposure to both markets and ecosystems. The collaboration will also explore the possibility of hosting events and conferences to support innovation and business growth.
Officials said these MoUs underline growing global interest in Telangana’s AI ecosystem and its long-term vision of becoming a leading hub for AI talent, research and startup development, according to an official statement on Thursday.
. VV CDS