BITS Pilani to Expand with ₹2,200 Cr Investment, New 'AI+ Campus' in Amravati: KM Birla

Kumar Mangalam Birla, Chairperson of the Aditya Birla Group and Chancellor of Birla Institute of Technology and Science (BITS), Pilani, on Sunday announced a ₹2,200 crore plan to upgrade and expand the 61-year-old Institution of Eminence.

Seen as one of the top engineering colleges in India, BITS will set up a new campus in Amaravati, Andhra Pradesh. The institution already has campuses in Pilani, Goa, Hyderabad, Mumbai and Dubai, where over 18,500 students study technology, engineering, and science courses at undergraduate, postgraduate, and doctoral levels.

The new Amaravati campus, called the 'AI+ Campus', is being developed with an initial investment of ₹1,000 crore on a 35-acre site. It will offer academic programmes in artificial intelligence, machine learning, innovation, and strategy. The campus will be developed in two phases: in Phase 1, it will accommodate 3,000 students; Phase 2 will expand capacity to over 7,000, with advanced research and entrepreneurship facilities built using sustainable, modular infrastructure.

“We see this as a bold step towards transforming higher education in India,” said Birla, speaking to reporters after the 2025 convocation of BITS Pilani. Former Chief Justice of India, DY Chandrachud, was the chief guest at the convocation. The Birla conglomerate patriarch was visiting his family’s ancestral hometown after almost 10 years. Earlier in the day, he reportedly met with locals of the Rajasthan town along with Member of Parliament Bijendra Ola, MLA Pitaram Kala, and District Chief Harshini Kulhari.

BITS Expansion Plans

“This campus (the 'AI+ Campus' in Amaravati) will be a hub for interdisciplinary learning with a focus on AI, emerging technologies, and industry collaboration,” said Birla. He added that the Amaravati courses will also be aligned with BITS’ B.Tech 2+2 international dual‑degree programme, where students spend two years at a BITS campus (Pilani, Goa, or Hyderabad) and two years abroad at partner universities such as the University at Buffalo (US) and Iowa State University (US).

Birla also mentioned that the choice of Amaravati for the new campus was influenced by Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu, who, according to Birla, “was very keen that BITS has a campus there” and made large tracts of land available at a very low cost.

Another aspect of the ₹2,200 crore expansion is the ₹1,219 crore “Project Vistaar”, which aims to expand and upgrade infrastructure across the Pilani, Goa, and Hyderabad campuses. This includes ₹60 crore for upgrading undergraduate laboratories and increasing student intake across campuses from the current 18,700 to approximately 26,000 by the academic year 2030–31. The initiative will enhance long-term research capabilities, improve the student experience, and foster global partnerships, BITS said.

The third key announcement by KM Birla was the launch of BITS Pilani Digital, which he said aims to “democratise higher education” and is part of BITS’ response to the National Education Policy’s push for accessible and lifelong learning. Over the next five years, BITS Pilani Digital aims to launch 32 programmes (including 11 degrees and 21 certificates) and reach over 100,000 learners.

Birla explicitly stated that Pilani Digital is not an edtech platform and will not follow the model of legacy tech institutes like the IITs, many of which offer certifications, diplomas, or degrees at premium costs—such as IIT Madras’ BSc in Programming and Data Science, which ranges from ₹3.25 lakh to ₹3.87 lakh depending on electives and pace of study.

Prof. V. Ramgopal Rao, Vice-Chancellor of BITS Pilani, added, “It will be affordable. We want more and more students to benefit from the quality education that BITS provides.” The platform is set to go live next month. Prof Row also mentioned that future plans include setting up small regional centres so that students can attend in person and benefit from the hybrid learning model.