Talent triangle has strong potential to be next B’luru: Priyank

Mangaluru: Minister for electronics, IT/BT, and rural development & panchayat raj Priyank Kharge said, "Manipal, Udupi and Mangaluru clusters have massive potential for growth. As shown in the Silicon Beach Talent report, this region has a huge talent pool of over 3,10,000 people, and we have to utilise them. We can make Mangaluru the next Bengaluru." Xpheno in partnership with the Karnataka Digital Economy Mission (KDEM), at the Technovanza 2025, released the ‘Silicon Beach Skills' report. The report covers a comprehensive analysis of the Udupi-Mangaluru region's emerging talent pool and its potential to drive growth in India's digital economy. The objective of the report is to make the rich and diverse talent pool of ‘Silicon Beach' visible to global capability centres (GCCs) across the world, promote the true potential for new businesses, and harness the burgeoning talent landscape in the region.The findings underscore the region's strengths as a "Talent Triangle,"extending beyond the coastal stretch. It also highlights the need for strategic interventions to fully unlock its potential, as only 90,000 professionals currently possess more than one year of work experience.The minister said that over the years, Karnataka moved up the value chain, catering to global aspirations. "We are the only state govt in the country positioning Karnataka as a destination for skills and knowledge, focused on delivering sustainable solutions for the world. We are following the ‘3 Ps'—policy, people, and participation. The state has the highest skill penetration in India, and is performing strongly in AI and the startup ecosystem. Karnataka is the fifth-largest unicorn hub, with over 45 unicorns based here, and around 28% of our startups are in deep tech," he said.Peter Winther-Schmidt, consul general of Denmark in Bengaluru, said Mangaluru is rapidly emerging as a hub for both manufacturing and digital engineering. He stressed on the region's potential for a greener future and referred to Mashmakes company in Udupi. "Through our green strategic partnership with India, we are committed to long-term innovation in areas such as renewable energy, smart grids, green hydrogen, and sustainable waste management. I also see immense potential in digital innovation, including AI and IoT," he said.Sanjay Tyagi, jurisdictional director (scientist G), STPI Karnataka, said, "Mangaluru can become a hub for AI. Under the India BPO Promotion Scheme (IBPS), financial support is given for tier-2 and tier-3 cities. A lot of funds are still available which can be utilised, he said.BV Naidu, chairman of the Karnataka Digital Economy Mission, said, "AI will not lead to job losses, as a significant amount of data analysis is required in AI. The so-called ‘Trump effect' will be overcome over time. AI presents an opportunity to attract talent from the US. During the Roundtable with CEOs, we discussed the possibility of positioning Mangaluru as an AI corridor and establishing it as a FinTech Centre of Excellence."