Delhi, January 22, 2026 - KPMG in India and the Airawat Research Foundation (ARF) have today signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to collaborate on the development and promotion of artificial intelligence (AI) - driven tools and services aimed at advancing sustainable urban development across India.
The MoU was signed between Professor Sachchida Nand Tripathi, Project Director, Airawat Research Foundation, and Akhilesh Avanish, Partner and Lead for Urban Transformation, KPMG in India. The collaboration to focus on key urban domains including air quality management, waste management, urban flood management, energy management, digital governance, and smart infrastructure monitoring.
Under the MoU, KPMG in India and ARF to jointly identify priority urban problem statements, develop and customise AI-based use cases, and co-create documentation, proposals, and credentials to support a joint market strategy. KPMG in India to enable ARF in facilitating market outreach and support ARF’s engagement with central, state, and local governments.
India is witnessing rapid urbanisation, with more than 31 per cent of its population currently residing in cities and towns. In this context, the responsible deployment of emerging technologies such as AI is expected to play a critical role in addressing complex urban challenges and strengthening cities as engines of social, economic, and environmental growth.
Commenting on the broader significance of the collaboration, Nilachal Mishra, Head of Government & Public Services, KPMG in India, said, “India’s urban future is expected to shape by how effectively technology is applied to complex governance and service delivery challenges. The MoU with the Airawat Research Foundation reflects our focus on responsible, outcome-driven adoption of AI in the public sector, where deep research, strong institutions, and implementation capability come together to support sustainable, resilient and citizen-centric cities. At KPMG in India, we view this initiative as a significant move toward bringing advanced AI research into practical applications for governments”
The Ministry of Education has designated an IIT Kanpur-led consortium as the Artificial Intelligence Centre of Excellence (CoE) for Sustainable Cities. ARF, a Section-8 company based at IIT Kanpur, has been established to spearhead this AI-led initiative of strategic national importance, with the aim to support progress towards relevant Sustainable Development Goals.
ARF is mandated to undertake research, development, innovation, and capacity building in emerging technologies, with a focus on sustainable urban development. It engages in interdisciplinary research to address city-level challenges and works toward developing AI-led scalable tools and services in collaboration with industry, academia, and other stakeholders.
KPMG in India is closely aligned with the Government of India’s vision of sustaining economic growth while prioritising sustainable urban development. The firm is actively involved in supporting reforms and programmes across central, state, and city governments, and has served as a committed advisor on landmark initiatives spanning urban transformation, water and sanitation, infrastructure, investment promotion, public finance, and digital public service delivery.
Commenting on the collaboration, Akhilesh Avanish, Partner and Lead for Urban Transformation, KPMG in India, said, “This collaboration reflects our commitment to leveraging technology for public good. By converging ARF’s deep-tech AI solutions with our experience across urban and public sector programs, we aim to help cities become more liveable, resilient, and sustainable.”
Professor Sachchida Nand Tripathi, Project Director, Airawat Research Foundation, said, “This collaboration between Airawat Research Foundation and KPMG in India brings together deep academic research capabilities and global consulting expertise to co-create scalable, AI-driven tools and services for sustainable urban development across India.”
This industry-academia collaboration is expected to strengthen the development and adoption of affordable, accessible, replicable, and scalable AI tools and services for sustainable cities across India.
