Deadline: October 31, 2025
The Optimizing Cement Operations with Generative AI initiative has been launched to create an AI-driven platform for autonomous plant operation and optimization with the aim of transforming the cement sector.
The focus of the program is to reduce energy consumption, enhance product quality, boost productivity and stability, sustainability and enhancement of thermal substitution rates through alternative fuels.
This program is open to startups at various stages including ideation, validation, early traction, and scaling, across industries such as AI, renewable energy, technology hardware, IT services, transportation and storage, logistics, and safety. It seeks to address sector-specific challenges such as variability in raw material and grinding efficiency, clinkerization complexities, ensuring product quality, maximizing alternative fuel and thermal substitution rates, strategic and cross-process optimization, and optimizing plant utilities and internal material handling.
Applications can be submitted until 31 October 2025, with results to be announced on 30 November 2025. All submissions will undergo a detailed evaluation to shortlist those aligned with the challenge objectives. Final selections will involve interviews and meetings with the internal committee. Selected startups will be onboarded for a six-month pilot phase with funding support and non-fiscal incentives.
Fiscal incentives include a PoC grant for up to four startups, each with an upper limit of Rs. 50 lakhs against actual expenditure incurred on the project. Non-fiscal incentives include access to plant data, instrumentation, and operations support, strategic partnership opportunities for scaling solutions across JK Cement plants, and potential strategic investments at appropriate valuation.
For more information, visit Startup India.
