A student team from Sona College of Technology, Salem, has won the Gold Cup at the Mitsubishi Electric Cup – 6th Edition (2026) for developing an artificial intelligence–based platform that simplifies industrial PLC programming.
Team Nexus AI, led by Seralathan R and comprising BTech third-year students Tharanika K, Vijay B and Tharana A S, developed a system that enables users to describe machine control logic in natural language, which is automatically converted into Structured Text code — a modern alternative to conventional ladder logic programming.
The competition required participating teams to design fully functional automation solutions using Mitsubishi Electric Factory Automation technologies aligned with the company’s e-F@ctory concept. Team Nexus AI was selected from nearly 300 national entries and progressed through multiple stages of technical evaluation with support from Mitsubishi Electric mentors and trainers.
Over several months, the team developed an AI platform capable of generating executable control programs for Mitsubishi Electric IQ-F (FX5U) PLCs. The system was demonstrated through an automated dip dyeing machine that operated entirely on AI-generated control code produced by the Nexus AI platform. The setup used Mitsubishi Electric industrial automation hardware including PLCs, HMIs, servo motors and other factory automation components.
At the final round held at the MIT Pune campus, the project was evaluated by an eight-member jury comprising automation programmers, ladder logic specialists and Mitsubishi Electric research and development engineers. The jury assessed the platform’s architecture, logic integrity, safety framework and scalability.
Team Nexus AI was declared the Gold Cup winner and received a cash prize of ₹1,00,000 after nearly 150 days of development alongside their academic work.
Congratulating the students, Atsushi Takase, Managing Director of Mitsubishi Electric India, commended the team for demonstrating technical capability and innovative thinking during the competition.
The team will now represent Mitsubishi Electric India at the Global Mitsubishi Electric Factory Automation (MECA) Competition scheduled to be held in September 2026.
Chocko Valliappa, Vice Chairman of Sona College of Technology, said the achievement reflects the institution’s focus on research-driven learning and innovation. He noted that this is the third national industry competition win by Sona student teams in recent months, following victories in competitions organised by Capgemini and Google Gemini.
The team acknowledged the guidance of faculty mentor Dr. D. Prasad, the support of a seven-member peer group and encouragement from alumni and the institution’s leadership.
Team member Vijay B had earlier won the ₹2.5 lakh Student Champion Award in the Capgemini Engineering Brand Quest 2025, competing against more than 2,50,000 participants from engineering and management institutions.