Bengaluru: Between 1,700 global capability centres (GCCs) that have come into the country, India houses over 2,975 units - staking claim to having the largest number of GCC units in the world. Remarkably, at 17% the country also has the largest global share of technology GCCs.
A report tabled on Wednesday by the National Association of Software and Service Companies (nasscom) in partnership with global management and strategy consulting firm Zinnov, estimates that this market will rise to $99-105 billion by 2030.
In that time, the number of GCCs with operations in India will climb to 2,100-2,200, engaging 2.5-2.8 million people. About 400 new GCCs and 1,100 new centres were established in the country between FY19 and FY24.
GCCs in India employ over 1.9 million people. Over 90% of the GCCs operate as multi-functional centres, supporting technology, operations, and product engineering. Together with NCR, Bengaluru accounts for 47% of the IT talent present in India’s GCC ecosystem. Tier-II/III cities employ over 82,000 people in over 220 GCC units. Ahmedabad, Kochi, Thiruvananthapuram, and Coimbatore are building critical mass.
Engineering and Research and Development (ER&D) GCCs, contributing $36.4 billion in revenue, have grown 1.3 times faster than the overall GCC growth rate.
In terms of maturity, almost 53% of GCCs have matured to the portfolio and transformation hub stages.
Around 40 global unicorns have an India GCC presence as of 2024. While the initial wave of GCC growth was driven by large enterprises, more mid-market enterprises and unicorns are also setting up GCCs in India.
Pari Natarajan, CEO, Zinnov said, “India has undeniably become the GCC capital of the world. What's truly exciting is how India has become a microcosm of global organisations. Every business unit and function now has some representation here, making our GCCs the nerve centres of global tech advancement. As we look ahead to 2030, we expect that 70% of Fortune 500 companies will be expanding their presence to India.”
Over the past five years, global roles in India have expanded with now more than 6,500 such positions established.
GCCs in India are increasingly focused on building AI capabilities and driving the AI transformation for their internal enterprise. This includes a talent pool of over 1.2 lakh AI professionals, with 30% of AI Centres of Excellence housed in software and internet GCCs. More mature GCCs are further developing expertise in full-stack development, AI, Internet of Things (IoT), and cybersecurity.
Nearly a quarter of global engineering roles are now based in India, with industries like aerospace, defence, and semiconductor focusing on next-generation technologies. Additionally, semiconductor firms and tech multinationals are increasingly establishing product teams in India.