Shaping Tomorrow: Innovation, Collaboration, and Data at Shell India’s Changemakers of Tomorrow 2024

Attending Shell India’s flagship event, Changemakers of Tomorrow 2024, in Bengaluru was an inspiring experience. The event brought together some of the brightest minds from government, industry, and academia, all committed to designing innovative solutions to drive India’s energy transition. It was clear that the journey to a sustainable future requires not just action but a collective effort, and the event provided the perfect platform for such collaboration.

Driving Change in Challenging Times

The theme of Changemakers of Tomorrow revolved around telling stories during challenging times, encouraging participants to accelerate change despite obstacles. The event started on a very apt, energizing welcome note from Hariharasudhan Ramani (GM, Digital Innovation, Shell). It was clear from the word go that it would be a high-tempo event.

A Meeting of Minds for a Low-Carbon Future

The day was filled with engaging discussions, particularly with leaders like Mansi Tripathy (Chairperson, Shell Group India), Kamal Bali (Volvo Group India), and Vijay Nirani (Nirani Group and TruAlt Energy). Their conversations with government officials like Shri Madhu Bangarappa (Primary & Secondary Education Minister, Karnataka) and Shri Gaurav Gupta (Additional Chief Secretary, Energy & Water Resources, Karnataka) stressed the importance of collaboration in expanding energy choices for India’s low-carbon future.

Programs like Nxplorers, which showcases youth-driven innovation, and E4 Incubation, which supports startups focused on low-carbon technologies, highlighted how the next generation is key to transforming India’s energy landscape.

Transforming Safety in the Energy Industry

It was fascinating to listen to Daniel Raj David CEO of Detect Technologies, a promising Chennai-based. His story was both inspiring and personal—after witnessing a serious incident at a refinery, he set out to improve safety standards in the energy sector using machine vision.

With support from Shell’s #E4 program and Shell Ventures, Detect Technologies began collecting data across India, training algorithms to identify unsafe practices. Today, their innovation is deployed at 19 Shell assets, resulting in a 62% increase in identifying safety indicators.

Ethics in business

A highlight for me was the insightful conversation listening to Dan Jeavons (VP of Computational Science and Digital Innovation, Shell) with Faye D'Souza (Founder & Editor at Beatroot news), who emphasized the importance of courage, integrity, and balancing speed with ethics in driving change. Her words resonated deeply, reminding us that making an impact requires not just action but thoughtful and ethical leadership.

Recognizing Pioneering Efforts in HPC and Energy Efficiency

Isma Shahriza Ismail, PMP and her team were recognized for their groundbreaking work in establishing and operating high-performance computing (HPC) capabilities in collaboration with partners such as Amazon Web Services (AWS) , 微软 , and 英伟达 . Their efforts are not only accelerating research but also contributing to energy efficiency. By working with e-fluids researchers and deploying immersion cooling, the team has managed to reduce HPC energy consumption by up to 40%. WOW ! That's quite an achievement.

The Power of Partnerships and Digital Innovation

The event demonstrated that partnerships are essential to progress. It was exciting to see Databricks featured as a key partner, showcasing how data-driven insights are becoming a crucial part of reshaping the energy sector. Andy Kofoid shared insights on how the partnership has evolved over the last 10 years. At Celebal Technologies , we understand the power of data and AI in helping businesses and industries make informed decisions, and it was inspiring to see so many companies aligning towards a common goal of innovation and sustainability.

What Celebal and Shell Have in Common

Shell's vision articulated at the event closely aligns with Celebal Technologies' mission—using cutting-edge innovation to tackle complex business challenges. Both organizations are committed to using technology to drive sustainable solutions for the future. Celebal's work with data and AI solutions complements Shell’s efforts to harness technological advancements for a greener tomorrow.

Together, We Build a Greener Future

As we look ahead, it’s clear that the future of energy is bright. Changemakers of Tomorrow 2024 showed us that collaboration, innovation, and sustainability are the solutions to our challenges. Celebal Technologies is excited to walk this journey alongside like-minded organizations like Shell, continuing to drive transformative change through the power of data, AI, and partnerships.

Together, we are not just part of the change—we are leading it, crafting a greener, cleaner future, and filled with possibilities. ??