APDTI Network convened the Cognetix IoT Summit 2026, here on Thursday, bringing together industry stalwarts, startups, academic minds, and policymakers.
The flagship event underscored a definitive shift: the Internet of Things is rapidly evolving from basic device connectivity into a sophisticated layer of artificial intelligence, edge intelligence, and autonomous decision-making.
Held under the aegis of Cognetix—an ecosystem platform championing Industrial IoT, Robotics, Autonomous Systems, and DeepTech—the summit laid bare the roadmap for positioning Visakhapatnam and Andhra Pradesh as powerhouse hubs for emerging technologies.
Inaugurating the summit, Sreedhar Kosaraju, chairman of the APDTI Network, emphasised that India’s next technological leap hinges on converging IoT, Edge Computing, and AI. He noted that machines are moving past mere data collection into systems capable of understanding and action.
Vijay Kumar Sahu, Regional Head of NRDC and Chief Guest of the event, stressed the critical need to bridge knowledge with wealth creation. He called for rigorous protection of intellectual property and indigenous innovations to fuel India’s wider technology momentum.
Adding an operational perspective, Ravi Eswarappu, CEO of RTIH, highlighted the local rollout of high-end incubation infrastructure—including GPU and prototyping laboratories—designed to fast-track startups and student innovators.
Talent AP President Suresh Narra spotlighted grassroots initiatives like hackathons and the Professor of Practice program to ready the workforce for future demands.
The technical sessions dove deep into real-world applications, moving past boardroom theories. Experts from Infosys, Bosch, and Dharanova dissected how Edge AI, TinyML, and Agentic AI are transforming manufacturing, port logistics, aquaculture, and energy grids. Key sessions also spotlighted predictive operations in heavy industries, featuring heavyweights from NSTL, HPCL, and RINL (Vizag Steel).
A major highlight was the celebration of regional trailblazers at the IoT Awards. Recognition went to AVN Agrobharat (MilkPro) for IoT Innovation of the Year, PRAGYA (MBEI) for Best Industrial IoT Deployment, and NcCode Vend Systems as the Best IoT Startup in Vizag/AP.
Published – September 17, 2026 11:23 pm IST
