Global industrial leader Caterpillar a global leader in construction and mining equipment, industrial engines, and diesel-electric locomotives, has reaffirmed its commitment to innovation and local talent development through its flagship event, Tech Challenge 2025. Designed to inspire and empower India’s next generation of STEM innovators, the five-month challenge concluded with an exciting grand finale held at Caterpillar’s R&D centre in Chennai and manufacturing facility in Tiruvallur.

Launched in February, the challenge attracted over 13,000 students from more than 600 colleges nationwide. From 4,000+ registered teams, just 38 advanced to the grand finale following rigorous rounds of evaluation.

Winners included teams from PSG Institute of Technology and Applied Research (Real-Time Monocular Depth Estimation on Edge AI), PSG College of Technology (Vision System to Detect Component Defects), and IIT Madras (Innovative Diesel Exhaust Fluid Tank Design). Runner-up positions went to Vellore Institute of Technology, College of Engineering Guindy, and Chennai Institute of Technology. Special jury mentions were awarded to PSG Institute of Technology and Sri Sivasubramaniya Nadar College of Engineering.

Bhuvan Anandakrishnan, India country manager and vice president of ICS Engineering, stated, “India is emerging as a knowledge-driven economy. Through this initiative, we aim to foster young engineering talent and strengthen our innovation ecosystem. Today, over 4,500 engineers work at our R&D centres in Chennai and Bangalore, marking our second-largest engineering base globally.”

Tech Challenge 2025 offered participants hands-on experience, mentorship from industry experts, and the opportunity to address real-world engineering problems—reflecting Caterpillar’s long-standing dedication to sustainable innovation and excellence.

Also Read: Tech Avant-Garde celebrates women’s day #ChooseToChallenge