Regional Al Summit 2.0 Inaugurated at Sri Ramakrishna Institute of Technology Coimbatore

Coimbatore: Regional AI Summit 2.0 (RAS 2.0), a three-day AI Innovation Hub, was formally inaugurated at Sri Ramakrishna Institute of Technology (SRIT), Coimbatore, by CV Ramkumar, Chief Executive Officer of SNR Sons Charitable Trust.

Held from 24 to 26 September 2026, the summit brings together over 600 delegates a day across four flagship competitions: a 36-Hour AI Hackathon, an AI Film Festival, an AI Brand Ad Challenge, and Student Startup Pitching, with exciting prizes on offer.

Addressing the gathering, Ramkumar said the next decade belongs to "AI-native builders" — those who imagine, design and build with artificial intelligence from the ground up, rather than merely using it. He noted that RAS 2.0 was conceived to give students a platform where curiosity, discipline and the courage to build something new could be tested and nurtured over three intensive days. He added that SNR Sons Charitable Trust remains committed to taking education beyond the classroom and into direct contact with industry, investors and policymakers, describing the summit as "a meeting point" for these stakeholders to imagine the future together.

As part of the inauguration, Ramkumar formally introduced four industry mentors: Paul D, Managing Partner, Paul Bros Consulting LLP; Ramadevi, Startup Mentor and Board Advisor; and ArunKumar Nataraj, Founder and Chairman, Alam Capitals Berhad, who will jointly lead the session "Investor Ready: Grounded Insight, Global Reach"; and Balaji Thirunavukkarasu, Founder, Village Technology School, who will lead the session on AI Tools and AI Agents for Startups. Each was thanked for lending real-world entrepreneurial and investment expertise to the student participants.

Ramkumar extended a special welcome to participants who have travelled to SRIT from various colleges and institutions across the region to compete in the hackathon, film festival, brand ad challenge and startup pitching tracks, urging them to use the three days not only to compete but to connect with mentors, judges and peers from other campuses.

Regional AI Summit 2.0 is hosted by Sri Ramakrishna Institute of Technology, Coimbatore, and organised by Yuvaasoft. The three-day event runs through 26 September 2026, culminating in project pitching finals, keynote addresses by government dignitaries, and prize distribution across all four competition tracks. Official ecosystem partners for the summit include TN-RISE, TNAIA, ICMEG, Paul Bros Consulting, Shortfundly and BRIO.