Tech Mahindra (NSE: TECHM), a global provider of technology consulting and digital transformation services, and the German Research Center for Artificial Intelligence (DFKI) have announced a partnership to jointly design and build next-generation smart factory solutions for manufacturing companies in Germany. The two organizations will work together to create scalable, secure, and industry-ready AI technologies that support the transformation of modern manufacturing.
The alliance combines Tech Mahindra’s applied innovation strengths with DFKI’s deep research expertise, enabling both organizations to accelerate the development of responsible and human-focused AI for industrial environments. Collaborative research will cover Generative AI, robotics, human-machine collaboration, digital twins, semantic data structures, autonomous and sustainable production systems, agentic AI, and skill-based manufacturing. The partnership also aims to advance connected, distributed production ecosystems that set the foundation for the future of intelligent factories.
Harshul Asnani, President and Head – Europe Business, Tech Mahindra, said, “As manufacturing enters a phase where AI and robotics shape global competitiveness, our partnership with DFKI reinforces our commitment to building adaptive, AI-driven production systems. Our focus is to bridge research with real-world results, helping our customers unlock intelligence across their operations while ensuring every innovation remains ethical, responsible, and sustainable.”
As part of this collaboration, Tech Mahindra will expand its research efforts in Germany, deepen its engagement with European manufacturing clients, and gain access to wider partner and customer ecosystems. DFKI will integrate its AI advancements into Tech Mahindra’s Manufacturing Experience Center and deployment projects, supporting the transfer of research from the lab to live industrial environments.
Prof Dr Ing Martin Ruskowski, Head of the Research Department Innovative Factory Systems at DFKI, said, “This collaboration enables us to elevate production to a new level of value creation through agentic AI. Future robots will be more effective, supported by intelligent software, and increasingly capable of working closely alongside human operators.”
The partnership reflects a shared ambition to drive intelligent, sustainable, and adaptable manufacturing systems. It emphasizes R&D-led growth and aims to deliver long-term value by advancing a new wave of AI-centric manufacturing capabilities.
The German Research Center for Artificial Intelligence (DFKI) has operated as a non-profit public-private partnership since 1988. It maintains research sites in Kaiserslautern, Saarbrücken, Bremen, Niedersachsen, and Darmstadt, along with labs in Berlin and Lübeck and a branch office in Trier.
DFKI blends scientific excellence with industry-focused innovation and is internationally recognized as a leading AI research institution. With a focus on human-centric AI for more than three decades, DFKI works on future-oriented application areas and socially relevant challenges. It employs around 1,560 people from more than 76 countries and develops cutting-edge software technologies for emerging markets.
Tech Mahindra (NSE: TECHM) delivers technology consulting and digital solutions to enterprises worldwide, enabling transformation at global scale. With over 152,000 professionals across 90+ countries and a customer base of more than 1,100 organizations, the company’s offerings span consulting, IT services, enterprise applications, business process services, engineering, networks, customer experience and design, AI and analytics, and cloud and infrastructure services.
Tech Mahindra is the first Indian company to receive the Sustainable Markets Initiative’s Terra Carta Seal, which honors companies taking a leadership role in building a climate-positive future. The company is part of the Mahindra Group, founded in 1945 and recognized as one of the world’s most respected business conglomerates.
