First, what is a GCC?
A GCC, or Global Capability Center, is basically a company-owned hub in another country that handles important work for the global business. In plain English, it is not a vendor. It is the company’s own team, set up offshore, doing work that can range from technology and finance to research, analytics, product development and customer operations. India’s government now describes GCCs as strategic hubs for innovation and value creation, not just back-office engines.
Why India keeps winning this race
The answer is simple: talent, scale and economics. India already has more than 1,700 GCCs, employing about 1.9 million professionals and generating $64.6 billion in revenue as of FY24 - that's more than double TCS’s FY25 revenue. That gives companies a deep talent pool and an ecosystem that already knows how to run global operations. JLL says India’s GCC footprint has crossed 263 million sq ft — an office base large enough to fill roughly 46 Burj Khalifas. This tells you this is not a passing phase.
Where the GCC map is getting crowded
Bengaluru still leads the story, with JLL saying it accounts for 34–39% of all GCC activity and nearly 900 units. Hyderabad is now a clear second force, with JLL putting it at 20–23% of the market and other 2025 research pegging the city at 355+ GCCs. NCR has also become a major hub, with Dun & Bradstreet saying the region is home to 465 GCCs and over 270,000 professionals. In the south, Tamil Nadu says the number of GCCs in the state rose from 150 in 2021 to 305 by 2024, with Chennai adding 60 new GCCs in 2023–24 alone.
And then there is the next layer of the story. JLL says Tier-2 cities can offer 10–35% lower costs, and it specifically points to places such as Kolkata, Ahmedabad, Coimbatore, Lucknow, Mysore and Jaipur as emerging alternatives. That matters because companies want new talent pools without always paying metro-level costs
If the first chapter of India’s GCC story was US-led tech and banking, the next chapter looks more diversified: more Europe and UK participation, more healthcare and industrial companies, and more deep-tech mandates in semiconductors, aerospace, clean energy and AI-led R&D.
Why this is good news for professionals
This is good news because GCCs increasingly create higher-value jobs, not just headcount. They bring work in AI, cloud, cybersecurity, analytics, engineering, enterprise platforms, operations and finance. For Indian professionals, that means more chances to work on global systems and products without being stuck in the old outsourcing script. The Standard’s Bengaluru center reflects exactly that shift.
What these companies are hiring for
The hiring mix is changing fast. The Standard’s own center is being built around AI, cloud, data, analytics and insurance operations. Across the wider market, Quess says the sharpest demand is now in AI and data, cloud, cybersecurity and platform engineering, with about 60% of tech hiring now coming from AI, data, cloud and cybersecurity roles, up sharply from two years ago. This is one reason GCC hiring today feels more capability-led than volume-led.
AI is not a future question anymore
The impact of AI on GCCs is no longer theoretical. There are already strong pointers. EY says 83% of GCCs are scaling Generative AI, 58% are investing in agentic AI, and 71% are actively reskilling their workforce. The likely pattern is becoming clearer: AI will reduce repetitive work, shrink the need for some large execution-heavy teams, and increase demand for people who can design workflows, build models, govern systems and connect technology to outcomes. In other words, fewer queue managers, more system builders.
That also explains the anxiety in the market. Quess says India’s GCC ecosystem already faces an AI and data skills gap of 38–42%, calling it the biggest growth bottleneck. So the AI question is not whether it will affect GCCs. It already is. The real question is which GCCs will use AI to move up the value chain and which ones will keep defending older operating models until the ground shifts under them
The leadership gap Wocult has already flagged
This is where Wocult’s earlier story becomes important. In “India’s GCC moment and the leadership gap nobody is naming,” written by Achyuta Ghosh, the argument is blunt: India’s challenge is no longer proving that it can run work at scale. The challenge is producing leaders who can redesign work using AI, move from services to software-led systems, and own outcomes rather than just delivery. As Ghosh argues, many GCC leaders are still rewarded for efficiency and execution, even though the next phase demands people who can rethink the work itself.
The opportunity is real. So is the risk.
So yes, it is raining GCCs. That is good news for India’s cities, talent market and global relevance. But the harder part starts now. India has to deepen specialised talent, spread growth beyond a few overcrowded metros, and build a stronger pipeline of leaders who can think in products, platforms and outcomes. The Standard’s Bengaluru move is one more proof point that the GCC wave is still strong. The real test is what India does with that trust once the centers are here.
Sources
US insurance firm The Standard expands India presence, opens second GCC in Bengaluru
India’s GCC expansion hits record 31 million sq. ft in 2025
How India’s GCCs transformed from cost centres to enterprise powerhouse
India’s GCC Tech Talent Landscape: Q4FY26
AI talent gap of nearly 40% emerges as biggest bottleneck for GCC growth: Quess report
India’s GCC moment and the leadership gap nobody is naming — Wocult, by Achyuta Ghosh
US insurer The Standard opens Bengaluru GCC for tech, AI push
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