Several years ago, the Amritt team led by me conducted a detailed analysis for Covidien, a $15 billion medical device company to help them figure how to leverage engineers and scientists from India in the best possible way. Blessed by Joe Almeida, CEO and sponsored by Paul Hermes, CTO, at Covidien this led to a) the establishment of an R&D Center and b) a series of outsourced relationship with carefully vetted engineering service providers. The Covidien team produced breakthrough innovations from India very very quickly. Medtronic bought Covidien and now has expanded what we helped to start.
Medtronic, a multinational medical device maker, has significantly expanded its largest research and development facility outside of the United States, which is located in Hyderabad, India. The company has invested another $350 into this Indian R&D center.
According to Geoff Martha, Medtronic’s Chairman and CEO, the innovation centers in India are not only focused on traditional medical device development but also on software capabilities for the company’s global product portfolio. Many of Medtronic’s medical devices, such as pacemakers and other invasive products, now have embedded software that seamlessly connects them to the cloud.
Looking ahead, Martha highlighted robotics as the next major growth area for Medtronic, with the company making significant advancements in surgical robotics. While R&D remains the core focus of Medtronic’s Indian operations currently, the company is open to eventual manufacturing and product localization specifically for the Indian market. This localized approach aims to improve accessibility and reduce India’s reliance on imported high-end medical devices.
Despite supply chain challenges in the financial year 2023, Medtronic reported its fifth consecutive quarter of single-digit growth in the third quarter of the fiscal year 2024. Martha views innovation as the key driver of sustainable growth for the company. Medtronic’s R&D pipeline includes recent product launches in areas such as hypertension and diabetes, leveraging technologies such as cloud computing, artificial intelligence (AI)and data analytics.
There is a growing emphasis on AI and robotics at Medtronic. Martha expects AI and robotics to have applications ranging from diagnostics to personalized therapies. For instance, the company is developing AI-powered colonoscopies that have demonstrated 100% accuracy in detecting cancerous polyps, compared to doctors who typically miss up to 50% of them. AI is also being utilized in areas such as back surgery.
While Martha does not foresee robotics replacing doctors entirely, he believes that doctors using AI and robotics will eventually replace those who do not leverage these technologies.
Note: Medtronic plc is an Irish medical device company. The company’s operational and executive headquarters are in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and its legal headquarters are in Ireland due to its acquisition of Irish-based Covidien in 2015.
Last updated: December 26th, 2025
