Tamil Nadu-born prof with most -ve carbon footprint wins €1 million prize for tech innovation

LONDON: A Chennai-born American electrical engineer has won the 2024 Millennium Technology Prize for his innovation that has enabled a dramatic reduction in worldwide electrical energy and petrol consumption. The prize comes with a €1 million award.
Bantval Jayant Baliga (76), progress energy distinguished university emeritus professor at North Carolina State University, told TOI he puts his success down to the rigorous training and curriculum he received at IIT Madras.
He was announced as the winner of the prize on Wednesday for his invention, development, and commercialisation of the insulated gate bipolar transistor (IGBT), a semiconductor power switch used in hundreds of modern appliances from air-conditioners to fridges, to the electronic ignition system for gasoline-powered cars to hybrid and electric cars.
The prize is awarded by Technology Academy Finland for innovations that benefit millions of people. By winning the award, Baliga joins the ranks of Tim Berners-Lee, founder of the world-wide web, the first to win the biennial prize in 2004.
The IGBT, which was developed in the 1980s, has reduced global carbon dioxide emissions by over 82 gigatons (180 trillion pounds) in the past 30 years.
“This award is coming at the culmination of my career as I am now retiring after 50 years, so the timing is perfect. It is a nice, flattering recognition of my work,” he said. “Due to its prolific use and impact on society and the environment because of reducing carbon emissions, and future impact through renewable energy, I think the IGBT does deserve to be recognised through this award.”
Born in Chennai, Baliga lived in Delhi until he was 10, then went to Bishop Cotton Boys’ School in Bengaluru, before studying electrical engineering at IIT Madras.
“The IITs are extremely rigorous and difficult institutions in terms of the rigour of the classroom and practical training. My university was supported by West Germany. During the first two years we spent a lot of time in the lab rather than in the classroom, so I learnt things other students may not learn. The biggest thing was the extremely competitive, tough climate,” he told TOI on Zoom.
His father, Bantval Vittal Baliga, was the first chief engineer of All India Radio after Indian Independence.
“He established the Indian branch of the IRE (Institute of Radio Engineers) and was the president. We had all the proceedings of the IRE at our house. IRE later joined with the AIEE (American Institute of Electrical Engineers) to become the IEEE. So I read articles by all the famous influential people who won the IEEE medals of honour. That is something that inspired me. My library was probably better than many universities in India. I have now won the IEEE medal of honour so it is really nice to be in that company,” he said.
Baliga moved to the US in 1969 to do a master’s and PhD in electrical engineering at New York’s Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. He arrived with just $10 in his pocket.
“In 1969, the Indian govt only gave $10 to people leaving for the US due to limited foreign reserves,” he explained. It was his first trip out of India and the first time he saw snow.
“At that time they were not admitting Indian students to my department. My professor told me later that is because they thought Indian students could not handle the curriculum. I went in and I got a perfect 4.0 GPA during my time there, and then they said, ‘Oh, maybe we were wrong’ and started letting Indians in.”
“I would have gone back to India, but since I was doing work on cutting edge semi-conductors, there was no opportunity to do that in India. After becoming successful in the US, it became harder to go back.
“Semi-conductors have always had a problem flourishing in India because you needa lot of infrastructure, like good, clean gas, clean water, reliable electricity, and you cannot have any of this interrupted. This has been a challenge for India all along. But there is nothing to stop them being manufactured in India due to the availability of highly educated and capable engineers if sufficient investments are made,” he said.
The prize will be presented to Baliga in Finland on October 30 by Finnish president Alexander Stubb.