Airawat Research Foundation

What Airawat Research Foundation does

Airawat Research Foundation (ARF) is a Section 8 not-for-profit company established in 2022 by IIT Kanpur to operate India's National Center of Excellence for AI in Sustainable Cities, with initial seed funding from the Ministry of Education, Government of India for a four-year horizon. The foundation develops and deploys AI-powered decision-support systems for Indian municipal and state governments, addressing urban sustainability challenges across air quality, transport, energy, waste, infrastructure, flood risk, and citizen service delivery. Named government deployments include the Delhi Department of Environment, Delhi Transport Corporation, Odisha Housing and Urban Development Department, and Sambalpur Municipal Corporation, alongside strategic MoUs with IBM, TCS, and five additional IITs/IISc Bangalore.

The technology portfolio centers on multimodal AI that ingests IoT sensor data (via the proprietary AMRIT SAAQMS network), satellite imagery, weather feeds, traffic data, and citizen inputs (voice/text in multiple Indian languages). Core products include ATMAN (India's first indigenous low-cost PM sensor), Nireekshan.AI (drone-based infrastructure inspection with digital twins), the MM3C open-source multimodal transport framework, VidyutAI for energy forecasting and optimization, hyperlocal air pollution forecasting at ≤500m grid resolution with 48-72 hour lead times, AI-enabled grievance redressal, and urban flooding models. The architecture is unified by a Digital Twin service-delivery platform intended to integrate data streams across vertical domains.

ARF's revenue model rests on government research contracts and MoU-based deployments, supplemented by academic partnerships and industry collaborations; no commercial pricing is publicly disclosed. The go-to-market is enterprise field sales into government entities, with deal sizes ranging from pilot deployments (e.g., Sambalpur grievance system) to five-year state-level engagements (e.g., Delhi environment MoU). Customer concentration is exclusively government, spanning central ministries, state departments, and municipal corporations, with leadership drawn from IIT Kanpur faculty and a governance board including directors from multiple IITs and industry representatives from Kotak Mahindra Bank and e-Gov Foundation.

Name

Airawat Research Foundation

Legal name

Airawat Research Foundation

Website

https://airawat.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2022

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Airawat Research Foundation is an IIT Kanpur-affiliated Section 8 not-for-profit that operates India's National Center of Excellence for AI in Sustainable Cities, deploying AI solutions in air quality, transport, energy, waste, and infrastructure for state and municipal governments.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

AI for Sustainable Cities (Urban Governance Technology)

NAICS

Environmental Consulting Services (54162)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731), Services-Computer Integrated Systems Design (7373)

akta.pro primary industry

Air Quality Modeling & Dispersion Analytics (AERMOD/CALPUFF, Exposure Surfaces) (EUAHAKAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Urban Flood Resilience & Adaptation Planning (Climate, Nature-Based Solutions) (EUANAEAJ), Waste Management & Smart Sanitation (Facilities) (HSAPAPAM)

Keywords

• AI for smart cities
• Urban sustainability solutions
• Air quality monitoring
• Smart infrastructure inspection
• Intelligent transport systems

Headquarters

HQ city

Kanpur

HQ country

India

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Government Research Contracts: ARF operates as a Section 8 not-for-profit company established by IIT Kanpur to operate the National Center of Excellence for AI in Sustainable Cities, funded initially by Ministry of Education seed funding for four years. Revenue appears to come from government research contracts and partnerships.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

Airawat Research Foundation develops and deploys AI-driven platforms and tools for sustainable urban cities on behalf of government and academic clients. Its portfolio includes the ATMAN indigenous PM sensor, Nireekshan.AI drone-based infrastructure inspection, an AI-powered Decision Support System for air quality forecasting, the Multimodal Transport (MM3C) framework, the AMRIT SAAQMS air quality monitoring network, the VidyutAI energy management suite, a Unified Digital Twin for governance, and spatio-temporal urban flooding risk models. Solutions are packaged as multi-year MoUs with central, state, and municipal government departments in India.

Product overview

Airawat Research Foundation (ARF), established by IIT Kanpur as a Section 8 not-for-profit company operating the National Center of Excellence for AI in Sustainable Cities, offers a comprehensive suite of AI-powered solutions across multiple urban sustainability verticals. The portfolio includes: Air Quality management (ATMAN indigenous PM sensor, hotspot identification, PM forecasting, source apportionment, and Decision Support System); Urban Mobility (Multimodal Transport/MM3C, traffic prediction, road safety, strategic planning); Energy (demand forecasting, distribution optimization, predictive maintenance, energy trading); Digital Governance (unified service delivery, climate resilient infrastructure, coordinated governance); Intelligent Waste Management (AI sorting, GVP mitigation, smart collection); Smart Infrastructure Inspection (Nireekshan.AI platform); Smart Power Grids (VidyutAI, EMS, Digital Twin); and Urban Flooding Modelling. These products work as an integrated ecosystem leveraging shared data infrastructure, AI models, and Digital Twin capabilities to provide comprehensive urban sustainability solutions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• ATMAN: India's first indigenous low-cost PM sensor designed to reduce dependency on imports and enable scalable deployment for air quality monitoring.
• Nireekshan.AI
• VidyutAI
• AMRIT SAAQMS

Products and services

• ATMAN Indigenous PM Sensor India's first indigenous low-cost PM sensor hardware designed to reduce dependency on imports, lower maintenance costs, and enable scalable deployment of air quality monitoring across urban areas. Intended for city governments and urban local bodies.
• Nireekshan.AI Smart Infrastructure Inspection AI-powered platform that combines drone technology and advanced non-contact sensing for quantitative, data-driven structural assessments, with digital twin creation and real-time asset health monitoring. Targets asset-owning departments and infrastructure inspection programs.
• Multimodal Transport (MM3C) Open-source Intelligent Transport System framework supporting modular integration with transit agencies' systems, allowing customization and updates for comprehensive urban mobility management. Built for public transport and city mobility authorities.
• AMRIT SAAQMS Air Quality Monitoring Network Ambient Air Quality Monitoring System network providing high-resolution air quality data for policy studies aligned with international standards. Provides urban local bodies and regulators with reference-grade data inputs.
• VidyutAI Energy Management Suite and Digital Twin Suite of intelligent energy solutions including EMS and Digital Twin that optimize renewable energy use, extend storage lifespan, and minimize costs and carbon footprint through forecasting and distribution optimization. Targets utilities and energy operators.
• AI-Powered Decision Support System for Air Quality Management AI-powered Decision Support System for air quality management that combines pollution data, weather information, and machine learning to forecast pollution 48-72 hours in advance, identify pollution hotspots, and trace emission sources. Deployed with Delhi Department of Environment.
• Unified Service Delivery Digital Twin Platform Unified Digital Twin platform that integrates multiple data streams to support citizen service delivery and coordinated governance for city administrators. Enables inter-departmental process automation and AI-driven insights.
• Spatiotemporal Urban Flooding Risk Models Spatiotemporal flood risk models delivering accurate city-wide flood forecasting capabilities as part of a unified flood forecasting service for municipal and state-level disaster management authorities.
• AI Grievance Redressal and CCTV Vision System for Civic Operations AI-powered grievance redressal system allowing residents to lodge complaints through voice or text in Odia, Hindi, and English, combined with AI-enabled computer vision integrated with city CCTV networks to identify sanitation black spots. Deployed with municipal corporations.

Quantifiable outcome

• 48-72 hour advance air pollution forecasting
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability10 records

Feature7 records

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Delhi Department of EnvironmentcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 22 June 2026Five-year MoU to develop an AI-powered Decision Support System for air quality management in Delhi. The system will forecast pollution 48-72 hours in advance, identify pollution hotspots, and trace emission sources using AI, machine learning, pollution data, and weather information.
• Delhi Transport CorporationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 June 2026MoU to strengthen Delhi's digital transport platforms including the One Delhi App and ONDC-based bus ticketing services, leveraging advanced technologies, AI, and data analytics to improve service reliability and commuter experience.
• Sambalpur Municipal CorporationminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 16 April 2026Partnership to integrate AI into civic operations, launching an AI-powered grievance redressal system allowing residents to lodge complaints through voice or text in Odia, Hindi, and English, plus AI-enabled computer vision for sanitation optimization.
• IBMcoreTechnology or Integration · 22 February 2026Collaboration on AI-powered air quality solutions as part of IBM's AI GovTech Innovation Center in Lucknow, in partnership with Government of Uttar Pradesh. Builds on existing AIRAWAT Research Foundation collaboration.
• IIT DelhiminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 16 February 2026Strategic collaboration to deploy AI-driven systems for real-time air quality and bio-aerosol monitoring across urban centers, integrating traffic, industrial emissions, and weather data for predictive governance.
• Odisha Government (Housing and Urban Development)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 11 February 2026MoU for AI-driven urban governance including establishing an AI Project Management Unit and creating a multi-year AI roadmap to improve urban services and governance systems across Odisha.
• IISc BangaloreminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 30 September 2025Collaboration to turn scientific breakthroughs into real-world impact for India's cities.
• Pollution Control India (PCI)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 30 September 2025Partnership to enhance industrial air quality management in Kanpur and NCR regions.
• IIT MadrasminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 28 September 2025Partnership to power next generation AI-driven, sustainable urban innovation.
• IIT DelhiminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 6 July 2025Partnership to drive AI-led innovations for sustainable and resilient cities.
• NIT CalicutminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 30 May 2025Partnership to drive AI-led innovation for sustainable and future-ready cities.
• IIT GandhinagarminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 16 May 2025Partnership to harness AI in shaping smarter, sustainable, and future-ready cities.
• IBMcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 3 November 2024Strategic MoU to advance air quality monitoring through AI technologies.
• TCScoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 15 October 2024MoU to accelerate India's journey towards sustainable urban development through AI-driven solutions.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Siemens Smart Infrastructure: Siemens' smart infrastructure business offers urban mobility, building, and energy solutions to city governments. Comparable to ARF because of overlapping scope in urban mobility (MM3C), energy optimization (VidyutAI), and digital twin offerings.
• Honeywell: Operates a broad portfolio of indoor/outdoor air quality sensors, smart city solutions, and building automation. Comparable as a potential competitor to ARF's air quality and smart infrastructure work because it offers enterprise-grade, scaled products to municipal buyers.
• TERI (The Energy and Resources Institute): A long-established Indian sustainability and energy research institute working with government, industry, and academia. Comparable to ARF in mission (sustainability research for India) but broader in scope and significantly larger in scale and tenure.

Direct peers

• WRI India: India arm of the World Resources Institute focused on sustainable cities, clean air, and energy. Comparable to ARF because both operate as applied research bodies working directly with Indian city and state administrations on data-driven urban sustainability.
• BreezoMeter: Provides air quality, pollen, and fire data APIs powered by dispersion modeling. Comparable to ARF's source apportionment and Decision Support System work, which similarly fuses sensor, weather, and dispersion data for city-level air quality intelligence.
• Aclima: A US-based company focused on hyperlocal air quality and climate pollutant sensing with AI-driven analytics. Comparable to ARF's ATMAN sensor + AMRIT SAAQMS network and source apportionment work in terms of product offering and grid-resolution analytics.
• IQAir: Swiss-based air quality monitoring company with global sensor deployments and a leading public air quality information platform. Comparable to ARF because it operates at the intersection of air quality sensing, data products, and policy advisory.
• Plume Labs: Specialized in real-time air quality forecasting, dispersion modeling, and citizen-facing pollution analytics. Comparable to ARF's air quality forecasting and hotspot identification capabilities in terms of technical approach (ML + dispersion).
• CSTEP (Center for Study of Science, Technology and Policy): A Bangalore-based research think tank doing applied research on energy, urban infrastructure, and air quality in India. Highly comparable to ARF because both are India-based, science-and-technology-driven policy research organizations working with state governments.
• Center for Science and Environment (CSE): India's leading policy research and advocacy organization on environment, air quality, and urban sustainability. Highly comparable to ARF given its applied research focus on Indian urban air pollution, water, and waste management, often partnering with state and central government agencies.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/AirawatRF
• Facebookfacebook.com/61578955062059
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/airawat-research-foundation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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