India targets 5,000 global capability centres by 2030.
India’s global capability centre sector has crossed 2,100 centres, employing 2.3 million professionals and generating close to USD 100 billion in annual revenue, according to figures presented by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman at the CII National GCC Business Summit 2026. The government has set a target of 5,000 GCCs by 2030, and growth is accelerating well ahead of that pace.
For foreign businesses, this scale signals a maturing ecosystem with proven infrastructure and talent depth, while the pace of growth means the most attractive locations and talent pools are being claimed quickly.
Rapid growth leaves room for new entrants
New GCCs were being established at a rate of roughly one per week in 2024. That pace has since increased to around one per day, and India now accounts for more than half of the world’s GCCs. More than 500 Fortune Global 2000 companies have already set up a centre in the country, yet around two thirds have not, as gap officials have described as one of the largest untapped investment opportunities in the sector. For businesses still evaluating a GCC strategy, this suggests substantial room to enter before the market consolidates further.
GCC locations widen beyond established hubs
The first 2,000 GCCs concentrated mainly in Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Gurugram. The next wave of growth is expected to extend into a broader set of cities, including Varanasi, Chandigarh, Visakhapatnam, Tiruchirappalli and Mysuru. State governments are positioning these locations with distinct advantages in cost, talent pools and infrastructure, giving businesses a wider set of options when choosing where to establish or expand a centre.
More than half of new GCCs are now being set up as AI-first operations, with engineering research and development the fastest growing capability area. Officials have also cautioned that centres focused on low-cost, repetitive work face rising competitive pressure from AI, and have encouraged GCCs to move up the value chain toward higher-value functions such as product architecture and applied research.
Timing and location are now the key decisions
The Fortune 2000 gap and the shift toward AI-first mandates both point to the same conclusion. Businesses without an India GCC should treat this as a signal to move, and those already operating one should reassess whether their centre’s mandate still fits where the sector is heading.
Location choice now carries more weight than it did when the big three hubs were the default. A proper assessment of state-level incentives, talent pools and infrastructure readiness before committing avoids costly repositioning later.
