Back office to brain trust: The rise of India's global capability centres

1. The World’s Deepest Tech Talent Pool - India produces nearly 1.5 million STEM graduates every year (AICTE, 2024), creating a rich pipeline for AI, ML, and cloud specialists.

2. Maturing Digital Infrastructure - With over 820 million internet users and rapid 5G rollout, India’s digital backbone is enterprise-ready.

3. The Data Imperative - With every global company now racing to become data-first, India’s GCCs are fast becoming strategic custodians of data innovation.

From Operations to Innovation Hubs

Traditionally seen as execution arms, today’s GCCs are not just coding, they’re co-creating. Whether it’s developing Generative AI copilots for global banks, using predictive analytics to power smarter logistics, or deploying zero-trust security models to defend against advanced cyber threats, India’s GCCs are shaping boardroom strategy from thousands of miles away.

In Pune, Cummins India launched its first IT Global Competency Centre. This facility is designed to harness emerging digital technologies like Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning and Robotic Process Automation to drive innovation across its global operations. In Hyderabad, Sanofi - a French pharmaceutical giant has centralised its real-world data analytics for drug discovery and invested EUR 400 Million to expand its GCC. In Chennai, global brands like AstraZeneca, Walmart, Ford and US-based Workday are all leveraging the city’s talent, infrastructure and competitive rental costs and lower operational expenses to build their GCCs.

These are not isolated examples, they represent a new narrative. And it’s this transformation that Season 2 of The Data Circle aims to capture and amplify.

Season 2 Theme: Innovation for the World, Made in India

At the heart of this season of ‘The Data Circle’ lies a bold and timely question: How can India build not just for itself, but for the world?

This year's theme, ‘Innovation for the World, Made in India’ reflects India’s growing clout as a source of strategic digital innovation. As enterprises across the globe recalibrate their business models around AI, data, and automation, Indian GCCs are no longer supporting innovation - they are leading it.

What to Expect in Season 2

Following the success of Season 1, which featured and recognised technology leaders from various industry sectors, Season 2 broadens its lens.

It will spotlight CXOs and tech leaders who are:

• Driving Gen AI-powered transformation

• Building data-first cultures

• Reimagining customer experience through automation

• Re-skilling teams for a future-ready workforce

Three-City Prelude Series: Where Ideas Meet Execution

The season kicks off with a three-city prelude series in Pune, Chennai, and Hyderabad - India’s rising digital capitals - showcasing industry leaders who are driving digital transformation.

• Pune: GCCs for Global Growth: Building India’s Gen AI-Powered Tech Stack for the World

Discussions in Pune will focus on talent transformation, scalable Gen AI applications, and the readiness of Indian engineering for enterprise-grade innovation.

• Chennai: Unleashing Innovation in GCCs with Tech

The conversation in Chennai will focus on co-innovation models with startups and academia, and how tech talent in GCCs is evolving into global R&D leadership.

• Hyderabad: Data: The New Currency of Innovation in GCCs

The Hyderabad chapter will explore monetisation of data, AI-led operations optimisation, and building future-ready, data-centric teams.

Technology Challenges: From Scaling to Strategising

Yet, with the great Indian GCC opportunity comes technical complexity. Key challenges facing CXOs today include:

• Legacy Infrastructure vs. Cloud-Native Architectures: Many GCCs are grappling with outdated systems that aren’t built to handle Gen AI workloads. The shift to scalable, cloud-native, and containerised environments is essential but complex, costly, and time-intensive.

• Fragmented Data Ecosystems: Gen AI thrives on high-quality, unified data. However, most enterprises are still struggling with siloed databases, inconsistent taxonomies, and incompatible formats, which hinder model training and real-time analytics.

• Model Explainability & Reliability: As AI models are embedded into core business workflows, ensuring transparency, auditability, and reliability becomes a mission-critical concern, especially in regulated industries like BFSI and healthcare.

• Toolchain Integration & Tech Debt: Integrating AI across functions often reveals technical debt and patchy toolchains. To scale effectively, GCCs need a well-integrated approach to building, deploying, and securing AI systems along with a clear plan to manage complex, mixed technology environments.

Season 2 of The Data Circle will deep dive into these challenges and more, to understand how various leaders are navigating them. It’s a platform for peer exchange, strategic foresight, and practical insights for business and technology leaders at these inflection points.

Looking Ahead

India’s ascent as a global digital innovation powerhouse is no longer a hypothesis - it’s a lived reality. But the next frontier lies in sustaining this momentum, broadening impact, and owning the innovation narrative.

As data becomes the currency of competitive advantage, The Data Circle - Season 2 offers an essential vantage point into the minds and methods of those building the future - not just for India, but from India, for the world.

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