Bosch believes that AI will drive the next phase of engineering by creating new products, services and business opportunities.Dattatri Saragame, CEO of Bosch Global Software Technologies, said that artificial intelligence (AI) is expanding the scope of engineering work by creating new consumer demands and business opportunities, making it a value creation tool rather than just a cost-cutting tool.
Saragame told PTI in an interview that AI is giving India an opportunity to move from ‘volume engineering’ to ‘value engineering’, helping technology companies deliver more impactful results.
He said AI is often viewed only through the lens of technology, even though it has implications far beyond technology, from social re-engineering of corporate environments to fundamental changes in the way organizations work, how teams are structured and how people are led.
While automation may disrupt traditional “volume engineering,” it creates opportunities for companies to move toward “value engineering” and deliver more impactful, globally benchmarked outcomes.
“…It is an opportunity for us now to break the stereotype that India is the best place to do low-cost, repetitive work, extended workbenches, etc. and move up the value chain and deliver high-impact outcomes that are benchmarked against global standards.
“If you get stuck thinking only about streamlining your workforce, you’re going to miss opportunities. So we’re very mindful that we’re looking at this not in terms of how do we manage our cost structure or how do we streamline our workforce, but as an opportunity to deliver results that have a big impact on Bosch around the world? And that’s a very exciting area,” he said.
Saragame said companies that view AI solely through the lens of improving efficiency and productivity risk missing out on AI’s greater potential to create new products, services and consumer experiences.
“AI needs to become a value creation tool, enable newer forms of value creation, and unlock potential value that no one has ever imagined,” he said.
Bosch Global Software Technologies (BGSW) is Bosch’s largest technology center outside Germany, contributing to software development and engineering across nearly all of the German conglomerate’s businesses, from mobility solutions and industrial equipment to consumer electronics.
The company’s roots in India date back to the early 1990s, when Bosch established one of its first global technology centers in India.
Of BGSW’s global workforce of 28,907 employees across multiple distribution centers, the India operations account for approximately 24,151 employees. Apart from a large hub in Bengaluru (13,000-14,000 engineers), other centers in India are in Hyderabad, Pune and Coimbatore.
Saragame said India remains the oldest and largest technology hub in Bosch’s global software engineering network, with development work spanning end-to-end product engineering for global markets.
“The India Center was started in India about 30 years ago, so naturally a lot of the activities are coming from India,” said a top official.
He said the Indian center is deeply integrated into Bosch’s global distribution network and is working on cutting-edge technologies such as autonomous driving and connected cars. Indian engineers develop software and systems for vehicle computers that enhance driver assistance, safety and handling capabilities, and their solutions are integrated into products deployed across markets such as India, Europe, Japan and the United States.
Beyond automotive technology, Bosch’s India team is also working on smart home appliances such as connected refrigerators, washing machines and dishwashers.
“If you look at the consumer electronics space, we’re working on aspects like improving the consumer experience of consumer electronics…For example, how can a Bosch washing machine or a refrigerator interact with the user in an interface and change the way they use these appliances? So some of the engineering and software development and product engineering work is also done here,” he said.
While Pune specializes in vehicle calibration and testing capabilities, Coimbatore is leading work on in-vehicle infotainment systems, digital assistants and voice-enabled interfaces, leveraging expertise across Bosch’s extensive engineering network in other centres.
