The Chairman and Managing Director of Reliance Industries said India's largest company is at the “gateway” to solving India's energy challenges with solar energy and storage solutions.
Speaking at an event here to mark the International Day of Human Solidarity, Ambani said RIL's telecom arm Jio has brought India into the global digital mainstream by laying the foundation for services.
“…Of course we need AI. We (India) have to become a world leader in AI. But above all we need more empathy and compassion,” Ambani said.
“By combining intelligence and empathy, prosperity and purpose, India can present a new model of development to the rest of the world,” said the richest Indian.
He said there were many “infidels” within RIL regarding the telecom business.
Evidently referring to RIL's battery and energy storage ambitions, he said India is on the brink of solving its long-standing energy challenges, as the country imports 80% of its energy needs and faces constraints on energy storage despite abundant solar power potential. “I can say with great confidence that because of the people and the work that we have done so far, we are on the threshold of solving the region's energy challenges beyond using solar only as a four-hour fuel. We can use solar to really solve some of the problems that India needs to solve for the long term,” Ambani said.
Crediting RIL board member RA Mashelkar for laying the foundation for these initiatives, Ambani said that through this venture, RIL will “show” not only India but most countries of the world how green fuels can be used to ensure abundant and affordable access to green and clean energy.
Ambani said that RIL has been focusing on becoming an innovation-driven company over the last few years, and recalled that MM Sharma, a distinguished chemistry professor at his alma mater ICT, had praised the company's ability to execute but had challenged the company to focus on being innovative.
Ambani said Mashelkar has been working from the ground up to bring this idea to life for the past two decades, helping RIL become a deep technology, deep research and deep innovation organization.
Of RIL's 5.5 million employees, more than 100,000 are currently “technical professionals”, he added.
Ambani said the company has set up the Reliance Innovation Council and New Energy Council in recent years to further focus on its ambitions to transform into a deep tech company.
In a departure from the model followed in developed countries, Ambani said RIL's efforts are centered on “Gandhi engineering” – harnessing scientific breakthroughs to create more from less, and promised to contribute to improving the quality of life for Indians.
Mr. Ambani pointed to Mr. Mashelkar's contributions and recalled how the engineer used low-cost spaceflight to Mars as a good example to illustrate the country's capabilities.
“This is what Indian companies need to do on their own to provide the best quality products and services and improve the lives of ordinary Indians,” he said.
Mr. Ambani thanked Mr. Mashelkar, who holds 54 honorary doctorates, and Mr. Sharma, a Padma Vibhushan awardee, for their contribution to RIL's journey, adding that they influenced his thinking and are partly responsible for the achievements achieved by Reliance.
