The University of Texas at Dallas has partnered with Tech Mahindra, a leading provider of technology consulting and digital solutions to enterprises across industries, to collaborate on artificial intelligence (AI) innovation, skill development and research.
UT Dallas has signed a memorandum of understanding with Tech Mahindra to facilitate collaboration with the India-based company, which opened its headquarters in the Americas in March in Plano, Texas.
Tech Mahindra will launch its first Makers Lab in the U.S. in Dallas, providing opportunities for undergraduates, master’s and doctoral students, and faculty to advance AI technologies, data science, quantum computing, cybersecurity and cognitive network innovation, which involves self-adapting network infrastructures.
“We are excited to launch this new collaboration between Tech Mahindra and the [Erik] Jonsson School of Engineering and Computer Science, as we continue to bridge academic research with industry needs and expand our students’ opportunities for internships and student projects,” said Dr. Stephanie G. Adams, the Lars Magnus Ericsson Chair and dean of the Jonsson School.
In the first phase of the collaboration, Tech Mahindra will offer internships of three to six months for UT Dallas students to gain experience working on real-world research projects and proofs of concept.
Students will gain access to Tech Mahindra’s AI tools, platforms and Makers Lab facilities, while receiving mentorship from industry experts.
The research themes of the collaboration include AI skill development and capacity building; knowledge-sharing through seminars and hackathons; ethical and inclusive AI design; and applied research and development using generative and agentic AI for real-world use cases.
Dr. Bhavani Thuraisingham, professor of computer science; founding director and senior strategist for the Cyber Security Research and Education Institute; fellow of both the Association for Computing Machinery and the IEEE; and the Founders Chair in Engineering and Computer Science, will serve as principal investigator for UT Dallas.
Tech Mahindra will provide practical AI use cases, data and problem statements for academic exploration. UT Dallas and the company will codevelop intellectual property, AI frameworks and tools for commercialization.
The initial projects will focus on telecom-specific AI solutions, including autonomous network management; predictive maintenance; intelligent customer support; fraud and anomaly detection; automated service provisioning; and personalized customer-experience systems.
The collaboration also will explore ways to embed AI within the software development lifecycle. While telecom will be the initial focus, the collaboration is designed to expand into other industries based on mutual interest and emerging business needs.
Beyond research excellence, the initiative reflects Tech Mahindra’s commitment to local job creation, talent development and community enrichment.
“As generative AI continues to transform industries worldwide, the greatest opportunity and challenge lie in translating cutting-edge academic research into practical, ethical and impactful solutions for enterprise,” said Manish Mangal, president of the Americas communications business at Tech Mahindra. “Our partnership with The University of Texas at Dallas demonstrates our unwavering commitment to fostering innovative ecosystems that unite academia and industry. Together, our joint initiatives will enable American enterprises to lead the way in the new era of intelligent technologies.”