Ministry of Steel Unveils Digital Roadmap at AI Summit

The Ministry of Steel launched a comprehensive Digital Opportunities roadmap in the steel
sector at the India AI Impact Summit 2026 on February 18, 2026, at Bharat Mandapam, New
Delhi, positioning India as a technology-driven global steel leader. This strategy shifts focus
from mere capacity expansion to AI-powered systems, predictive analytics, automation, and
data-driven decisions across the value chain, including mining, logistics, production, quality,
sustainability, and governance.
Central to the initiative is the AI in Steel Pavilion, a collaborative platform showcasing
real-time industry challenges and inviting AI startups, tech firms, and researchers to
co-develop scalable solutions. Unlike traditional exhibits, it functions as a problem-to-solution
marketplace addressing operational pain points like downtime reduction, yield improvement,
worker safety, emissions cuts, and demand forecasting.
A high-level session united steel producers, miners, policymakers, and AI innovators to map
digital futures. Public and private leaders presented roadmaps prioritizing predictive
maintenance, computer vision, supply chain optimization, and decision support systems,
fostering a structured innovation pipeline for rapid testing and scaling.
Steel Secretary highlighted the sector’s surge: consumption doubled from 77 MT (2014-15)
to 152 MT (2024-25), fueled by infrastructure, urbanization, and manufacturing. Targets
include 300 MT crude steel capacity by 2030-31 and 400 MT by 2035-36, demanding
intelligent utilization, energy efficiency, and decarbonization via AI digital twins and process
controls.
Industry seeks AI customization for Indian contexts, including cybersecurity, multilingual
interfaces, and workforce adoption. The Ministry invites innovators to use the Steel
Research and Technology Mission as a sandbox, tapping vast opportunities in heavy
manufacturing and trade. This convergence signals steel’s next era: metallurgy meets
algorithms for competitive, sustainable growth toward Viksit Bharat 2047.