CM Fadnavis Felicitates NVIDIA Partner Team for Nagpur AI Hub
Synopsis
Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on 2 August 2026 honoured the Fortrise Business Solutions team — NVIDIA's representative — for establishing an AI Centre of Competency at Ramdeobaba University in Nagpur, reinforcing Maharashtra's push to build AI talent infrastructure beyond Mumbai and Pune.
Key Takeaways
CM Devendra Fadnavis personally felicitated the Fortrise Business Solutions team on 2 August 2026 at an official function.
Fortrise Business Solutions Private Limited is the NVIDIA representative driving the AI Centre of Competency at Ramdeobaba University, Nagpur .
Three executives were honoured: John Samuel (CEO), Ashok Srinivasan (VP Sales Operations), and Dhanraj K. (Senior Solution Architect).
The centre aims to bring NVIDIA's AI infrastructure directly into an academic setting, expanding access to industry-grade tools for Nagpur students.
The initiative fits Maharashtra's broader strategy of positioning Nagpur as a secondary technology hub alongside Mumbai and Pune.
An artificial intelligence centre is taking shape at one of Nagpur's premier engineering universities — and Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis made a point of personally honouring the team that is making it happen. On Sunday, 2 August 2026, Fadnavis felicitated the leadership of Fortrise Business Solutions Private Limited — NVIDIA's representative partner — for their role in establishing an 'AI Centre of Competency' at Ramdeobaba University, Nagpur.
The Chief Minister's Office confirmed that three senior Fortrise executives received the honour: John Samuel, Director and Chief Executive Officer; Ashok Srinivasan, Vice President of Sales Operations; and Dhanraj K., Senior Solution Architect. Their company serves as the on-ground representative of NVIDIA — the US-based GPU and AI infrastructure giant — in driving the centre's establishment.
Ramdeobaba University's bet on AI infrastructure
Ramdeobaba University has steadily built its identity as a technology-focused institution in Vidarbha. An AI Centre of Competency — backed by NVIDIA's hardware and software ecosystem — would give students direct access to industry-grade tools and training pathways, the kind of infrastructure that has historically been concentrated in Mumbai and Pune. Nagpur's emergence as a secondary technology hub in Maharashtra is no accident; successive state governments have actively courted such partnerships to redistribute opportunity beyond the western coast.
Maharashtra's push to build an AI talent pipeline
This felicitation is a signal, not just a ceremony. Maharashtra has pursued a deliberate strategy of anchoring global technology firms to state universities, creating structured pipelines from campus to industry. NVIDIA's involvement — through Fortrise — brings its AI computing stack directly into an academic setting, with implications for curriculum design, faculty capability, and graduate employability. The operational launch timeline and how the centre's curriculum will be integrated into Ramdeobaba's existing programmes remain the next milestones to watch.
For Fadnavis, the optics are equally deliberate: a Chief Minister standing alongside an NVIDIA partner team in Nagpur — his own constituency city — underlines the state's pitch that Vidarbha is open for high-technology investment, not just infrastructure projects.
Point of View
Not just corporate goodwill. Fadnavis has consistently used Nagpur — his political home base — as a showcase for development ambitions in Vidarbha, a region historically left behind in Maharashtra's economic story. Anchoring an NVIDIA-backed AI centre to Ramdeobaba University is a concrete step in that repositioning. The real test will be whether the centre delivers measurable outcomes in graduate placement and research output, or remains a ribbon-cutting milestone.
NationPress
2 Aug 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the AI Centre of Competency at Ramdeobaba University Nagpur?
It is an artificial intelligence centre being established at Ramdeobaba University in Nagpur with the support of Fortrise Business Solutions, the representative of NVIDIA in this initiative, aimed at providing students access to industry-grade AI tools and training.
Who is Fortrise Business Solutions and what is their role?
Fortrise Business Solutions Private Limited is a private technology firm acting as NVIDIA's representative partner in setting up the AI Centre of Competency at Ramdeobaba University, Nagpur.
Why did CM Devendra Fadnavis felicitate the Fortrise team?
CM Fadnavis honoured the Fortrise leadership — including CEO John Samuel, VP Ashok Srinivasan, and Senior Solution Architect Dhanraj K. — for their contribution to establishing the NVIDIA-backed AI centre at Ramdeobaba University.
What is NVIDIA's connection to Maharashtra universities?
NVIDIA, the US-based GPU and AI infrastructure company, is involved through its representative Fortrise Business Solutions in building AI training capacity at Ramdeobaba University, Nagpur, as part of Maharashtra's broader technology partnership strategy.
How does this fit Maharashtra's technology policy?
Maharashtra has pursued partnerships between state universities and global technology companies to build domestic AI talent pipelines, with Nagpur being positioned as a secondary technology hub alongside Mumbai and Pune.
