SDG 9: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure | SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production | SDG 13: Climate Action
Ministry of Steel | Steel Research and Technology Mission of India (SRTMI)
The Ministry of Steel has unveiled a comprehensive Digital Roadmap at the India AI Impact Summit 2026, positioning Artificial Intelligence as the core enabler for achieving India’s 400 million tonne (MT) steel capacity target by 2035-36. Central to this strategy is the AI in Steel Pavilion, a specialized “problem-to-solution marketplace” where steel producers and miners present real-world operational challenges to AI startups and research institutions for co-creation.
The roadmap marks a shift from incremental digitization to “mission-mode” AI integration across the entire value chain—from predictive maintenance in mining to intelligent decarbonization strategies in production. With India’s steel consumption nearly doubling to 152 MT in 2024-25, the Ministry is leveraging Digital Twins, advanced analytics, and intelligent automation to ensure that this rapid expansion remains globally competitive and environmentally responsible.
Key Pillars of the Steel Sector Digital Roadmap
AI in Steel Pavilion: A collaborative marketplace for co-developing scalable solutions in logistics, safety, and quality control.
Capacity Scaling Enablers: Using AI to optimize capital deployment and energy management to reach 300 MT by 2030-31 and 400 MT by 2035-36.
Operational Intelligence: Deploying predictive maintenance and supply chain optimization models to reduce downtime and improve yield.
Decarbonization & Sustainability: Integrating AI-driven process control systems to lower emissions and optimize raw material blending.
Ecosystem Convergence: Utilizing the Steel Research and Technology Mission (SRTMI) as a live sandbox for testing and validating startup-led AI innovations.
What are “Digital Twins” in Steel Manufacturing? Digital Twins are virtual replicas of physical steel plants or mining operations that use real-time data from sensors to simulate, predict, and optimize performance. By creating a “Digital Twin” of a blast furnace, engineers can run thousands of “what-if” simulations to find the exact temperature and material mix that maximizes steel quality while minimizing fuel consumption. This technology allows for “Systemic Transformation” by identifying potential equipment failures before they happen, effectively reducing industrial downtime and ensuring that India’s rapid capacity expansion does not compromise on operational safety or environmental standards.
Policy Relevance
The roadmap represents a transition from “Blast Furnace Expansion” to “Intelligent Metallurgy,” where the competitive edge is defined by process efficiency and data-driven material science rather than just raw volume.
Strategic Impact:
Operational Resilience: Shifting from “isolated pilot projects” to systemic transformation ensures that the targeted 400 MT capacity is managed through intelligent capacity utilization rather than just physical expansion.
Resource Efficiency: Using Digital Twins allows for high-fidelity simulations that optimize energy management, directly impacting the fuel-density of blast furnace operations.
Innovation Speed: Utilizing the SRTMI sandbox environment ensures that startups can test “Domain-Specific Customization” in real-world conditions, shortening the development cycle for industrial AI.
Relevant Question for Policy Stakeholders: How should the Steel Research and Technology Mission (SRTMI) define the graduation criteria for AI innovations tested in the live sandbox to ensure they are rapidly scaled to support the 300 MT target by 2030-31?
Follow the full news here: Ministry of Steel Digital Roadmap - February 18, 2026