Speaking at the golden‑jubilee celebration of KEONICS in Bengaluru, Shivakumar said the new committee will craft curricula that align with the needs of hardware, electronics, semiconductor and artificial‑intelligence sectors, which he described as the state’s emerging growth engines.
The chief minister highlighted that about 30,000 engineering seats across Karnataka remain vacant and many graduates are earning as little as ₹20,000 a month, underscoring the urgency of re‑skilling the talent pool to match industry demand.
Shivakumar also stressed that artificial intelligence should not be confined to large tech firms; he cited KEONICS’s rollout of AI‑powered KEO computers for village schools as an example of bringing advanced technology to rural students and small entrepreneurs.
KEONICS, founded in 1976, has evolved from an electronics promotion agency into a broad‑based technology partner. Its chairperson, Sharath Kumar Bache Gowda, noted that the corporation’s 130 training centres have certified more than 139,000 students between FY 2019‑20 and 2025‑26, while its IT infrastructure is expanding across regional hubs.
The expansion includes a Phase II IT‑Park annex on 2.5 acres in Shivamogga, a 36‑acre IT SEZ, a 3.25‑acre IT park at Blueberry Hill in Mangaluru, and a 3.48‑acre IT park in Mysuru, many to be delivered through public‑private partnerships or DFBOT models to attract private investment.
Home, IT, Biotechnology and E‑Governance Minister Priyank Kharge called KEONICS an essential execution arm of Karnataka’s technology vision, noting its role in delivering infrastructure, digital services, skill development and new‑technology initiatives across the state.