India added more than 100 greenfield Global Capability Centres (GCCs) during the first eight months of 2026, extending the country's role as a major base for multinational companies building technology, engineering and business operations.
The expansion comes as GCCs move beyond their traditional role as offshore delivery centres. Companies are increasingly using their India operations for artificial intelligence, product engineering, cybersecurity, data science, research and development, finance and other functions tied more closely to global business strategy.
Hyderabad and Bengaluru continue to be among the major destinations for new GCC activity, supported by established technology ecosystems and access to specialised talent. Pune, Chennai and Mumbai are also attracting new centres, reflecting a broader distribution of GCC investments across India's large technology and business hubs.
The expansion is taking place alongside significant growth in the overall GCC ecosystem. According to the 2026 Nasscom-Zinnov GCC Landscape Report, India had 2,117 GCCs operating across 3,728 units as of FY26, an increase of 32% compared with FY21. The sector employed around 2.36 million professionals and generated approximately $98.4 billion in revenue.
Artificial intelligence is becoming an increasingly important part of this growth. Nearly half of the GCCs established in India since FY21 were built with AI as a core focus from inception, according to the Nasscom-Zinnov report. This includes work across AI products, platforms and infrastructure, as companies look to build technology capabilities closer to their engineering and data teams.
The changing role of GCCs is also affecting the type of talent being recruited. Demand is expanding for professionals in areas such as AI and machine learning, cloud computing, cybersecurity, product engineering and data management, alongside traditional technology and business operations roles.
India's GCC expansion is also influencing the commercial office market. GCC leasing activity reached about 16.5 million square feet during the first half of 2026, representing an increase of nearly 38% from the corresponding period a year earlier.
The number of new centres can vary across industry datasets because some trackers count only greenfield GCCs, while others include expansions or additional units established by companies already operating in India. However, available 2026 data points to continued expansion of the sector as multinational companies increase the scope of their India operations.
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