9FEBRUARY 2026NBCC SECURES RS 104.95 CRORE IN NEW PROJECT ORDERSINDIA NEEDS TOP-TIER AI, NOT HAND-DOWN VERSIONS, SAYS INTEL MDStaterun NBCC (India) has secured new orders worth Rs 104.95 crore, strengthening its order book and expanding its footprint in project execution. The latest NBCC project wins include two contracts across infrastructure and rehabilitation works.The first order, valued at Rs 14.72 crore, has been awarded by Rourkela Steel Plant (RSP), SAIL Rourkela. The scope of work covers development of sports infrastructure, India and the Global South are equally ambitious in advancing artificial intelligence (AI) across hardware and software layers, according to Santhosh Viswanathan, Vice President and Managing Director (VP & MD) of Intel India.Speaking at the ongoing AI Impact Summit, Viswanathan emphasized that India does not need "handdown" versions of the latest AI products but requires AI solutions that are adaptable to societal needs.lagoon desilting, and repair or replacement of lagoon gates.It also includes the renovation and upgrade of six conventional operation theaters into a Modular Operation Theatre Complex at Ispat General Hospital in Rourkela.The larger contract, worth Rs 90.23 crore, has been awarded by NLC India. Under this assignment, NBCC (India) will act as the project management consultant for the construction of a Rehabilitation and Resettlement (R&R) colony. The colony will serve the Pachwara SouthOCP of Neyveli Uttar Pradesh Power (NUPPL) in the Dumka district of Jharkhand.With these fresh NBCC project wins, the company continues to focus on its three core segments: project management consultancy, real estate, and engineering procurement & construction.Financially, the company posted a 25.21% jump in consolidated net profit to Rs 156.68 crore in Q2 FY26, compared to Rs 125.14 crore in Q2 FY25. Revenue from operations rose 18.99% yearonyear to Rs 2,910.19 crore.Despite the positive developments, NBCC shares slipped 1.69% to trade at Rs 98.18 on the BSE today. "We are an aspirational society. Price is a function of value, not the other way around," Viswanathan remarked, pointing out that India, like other nations, expects the same level of quality and innovation as the rest of the world. He stressed that while costeffective alternatives are necessary, they should not compromise on product standards.Looking ahead, the future of AI will be more diversified, extending across various functions such as inference, agents, and applicationbuilding. Intel's latest products, including Core Ultra Three, are designed to meet the power and performance demands necessary for advancing frontier models.Viswanathan also discussed the evolving AI infrastructure needs in India, suggesting that a onesizefitsall approach, dominated by highend GPUs, will no longer suffice. Instead, a combination of GPU, CPU, and NPU (neural processing unit) will drive efficiency in AI applications."We have to take an approach that is practical and real for our society," he concluded, highlighting the government's efforts in building sovereign AI solutions for India's future.
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