It’s a wrap: News this week (June 14-20)

There have been multiple developments this week on the tech front. From the multiple deals to Cognizant’s investment in Andhra Pradesh, here is a list of the most important updates for a quick catch-up:

Volvo Cars-Tata Technologies

Product engineering and digital services company Tata Technologies has been selected by Volvo Cars as a strategic supplier. Under this partnership, Tata Technologies will be providing mobility through electrification, software-defined vehicle (SDV) platforms, and intelligent in-car experiences to the Sweden-headquartered automotive firm.

The collaboration will focus on product engineering, embedded software solutions, and Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) services. With its expertise in turnkey product engineering, Tata Technologies will support Volvo Cars from its global delivery hubs, including Gothenburg, its Automotive Centre of Excellence, as well as India, Romania, and Poland.

Google launches Safety Engineering Center in Hyderabad

Google inaugurated the Google Safety Engineering Center (GSEC) in Hyderabad. It is Google’s first such facility in the Asia-Pacific region and fourth globally. 

This center will serve as the hub for developing solutions for the APAC region, while also strengthening cybersecurity for government and enterprise infrastructure, and building Artificial Intelligence (AI) responsibility. As per Google, GSEC India will bring together teams focused on privacy and security engineering and advanced cybersecurity capabilities under one strategic umbrella to address India's distinct digital landscape. 

As a regional innovation hub, the centre will lead the development of scalable safety solutions tailored to India’s needs and support Google’s global vision for a safer internet. Its strategic role includes close engagement with policymakers, partners, and customers across APAC.

Additionally, Google on Tuesday launched its Safety Charter in India, its largest market outside the US, to enhance AI-driven fraud detection and scam prevention for enterprises as well as end-users in the country.

This initiative addresses the rising digital fraud in India, highlighted by an 85% year-on-year increase in UPI-related fraud, the company said at the "Safer with Google India Summit" held in New Delhi.

Salesforce, Jaquar Group sign digital transformation deal

Salesforce has announced a partnership with sanitaryware provider Jaquar Group to accelerate the latter’s digital transformation journey. Under this partnership, Salesforce will help the Manesar-headquartered company to unify customer engagement across business units, drive revenue growth, boost productivity, and drive operational efficiency through a mobile-first platform powered by AI.

Jaquar is adopting Salesforce as its end-to-end customer-facing solution across key divisions, including Bath and Light. It will be implementing a suite of Salesforce solutions such as Consumer Goods Cloud for sales efficiency; CPQ and Partner Community Cloud for pricing and collaboration; Field Service for on-ground service delivery, and more. Additionally, Tableau will also be used to drive enterprise-wide analytics, enabling data-led decisions across Jaquar Group’s sales and service operations.

TCS makes strides in Europe

TCS has been chosen by Denmark-headquartered retailer Sailing Group for its digital revamp. Under this long-term strategic partnership, TCS will help the Salling Group’s cloud adoption journey and subsequently stabilise the operations with the aim of driving more agility, scalability, and sustainability.

TCS will support the retail group’s digital transformation, focusing on enhancing the e-commerce platform to be more responsive to the evolving consumer demands. The Mumbai-headquartered IT firm will leverage its Artificial Intelligence-enabled cloud operations solution, Cloud Exponence, to deliver managed services in hybrid cloud environments. According to TCS, the solution reduces cloud management overheads, offers a consistent service delivery experience, and provides full-stack infrastructure services.

Further, TCS also announced setting up two new Automotive Delivery Centers in Germany – located in Munich and Villingen-Schwenningen as well as an engineering center in Romania. These new hubs mark a strategic move to help TCS’ global automotive clients accelerate their transition to next-gen mobility solutions.

The delivery centers in Germany will support automakers in developing and deploying TCS’ software-driven services. Meanwhile, the engineering center in Romania will focus on designing and building advanced automotive software platforms to support early-stage development and innovation. 

HCLTech signs multiple deals

HCLTech announced a multi-year strategic partnership with E.ON, one of Europe's largest energy and utility providers, on Monday. The partnership aims to accelerate E.ON's product-based transformation using advanced cloud and AI technologies. Under the agreement, HCLTech will establish a private cloud and oversee cloud and network management across E.ON's global operations.

This week, HCLTech also entered into an agreement with Just Energy, a US-based energy supply company, to help modernise and improve the energy company’s operations through AI and digital solutions. 

Under the partnership, HCLTech will provide its digital process outsourcing services and its generative AI platform, AI Force, to streamline Just Energy’s internal functions. These include information technology, finance, data analytics, customer service, sales, and contract renewals. The objective is to increase efficiency and improve customer interactions. 

HCLTech has been chosen by Spanish health insurance company ASISA as its technology partner to lead a major digital transformation initiative across the Iberian Peninsula.

The partnership aims to modernise ASISA’s IT systems, improve customer services for over 2.2 million policyholders, and support the company’s broader business growth in the region. As part of the plan, HCLTech will help streamline ASISA’s operations by overhauling its mainframe infrastructure and introducing artificial intelligence-based tools to boost efficiency and responsiveness.

LTIMindtree launches BlueVerse

LTIMindtree has announced the launch of BlueVerse, a new AI-focused business unit and suite of services aimed at supporting enterprises in integrating AI across their operations. Positioned as an AI ecosystem, BlueVerse is intended to help companies accelerate their use of AI from initial concept to practical implementation.

According to the company, BlueVerse currently features a marketplace offering more than 300 industry-specific and function-specific AI agents. It also includes tools to support interoperability and a growing set of connectors. LTIMindtree said the platform is supported by governance systems designed to ensure scalability and trust.

Cognizant to invest in Andhra Pradesh

Software services firm Cognizant Technology Solutions will invest ₹15.82 billion ($182.76 million) to build a new campus in Vishakapatanam. It is expected to create about 8,000 jobs, the state government announced on Friday, as reported by Reuters.

To be sure, in April, TCS unveiled plans for a ₹13.70 billion campus in the same city, which will generate 12,000 jobs.