1 week ago

India’s GCCs Become Global Hubs For Innovation And AI

Global companies set up special offices in India called global capability centres, or GCCs.

These offices used to do mainly routine and lower-cost work.

A new Zinnov report says many now design products, conduct research, and build advanced technology.

Most GCCs created since FY21 started with these higher-value responsibilities.

Newer centres are also becoming mature more quickly than older ones.

Artificial intelligence is helping speed up this change.

India has more than 1,200 GCCs with AI or machine-learning capabilities.

The report says future growth will depend on specialised workers, strong infrastructure, and an environment that supports important global work.

Key facts

Report source: Zinnov
Newer GCC mandates: 96% of GCCs established since FY21 began with product, R&D, or engineering mandates.
Maturity timeline: Centres established between 2002 and 2015 took five to 10 years to mature; those set up since FY21 are reaching maturity in less than five years.
AI-enabled GCCs: India has more than 1,200 GCCs with AI/ML capabilities.
Generative and agentic AI: These technologies account for 52% of AI use cases in Indian GCCs.
AI/ML professionals: India has around 550,000 AI/ML professionals, with roughly half working in GCCs.
Frontier R&D: Nearly half of India’s GCCs have a share of frontier work comparable to or higher than their headquarters.

businesstoday.in · 1 week ago