India’s global capability centre (GCC) ecosystem has expanded to 2,117 centres operating across 3,728 units, employing 2.36 million professionals and generating $98.4 billion in revenue as of FY26, according to a joint report by Nasscom and Zinnov. The number of GCCs has grown 32% since FY21, with 506 Forbes Global 2000 companies now running operations from India.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is emerging as a central driver of this growth. Nearly half of all GCCs set up since FY21 were built with AI at their core, while more than 1,200 centres now have embedded AI and machine learning capabilities. This is supported by over 250 dedicated Centres of Excellence and a talent base of 250,000 AI professionals.

Transition from experimentation to enterprise-wide deployment

The shift marks a transition from experimentation to enterprise-wide deployment, with AI increasingly integrated across products, internal operations, and customer-facing functions, the report said. At the same time, the focus is moving towards governance and scalability, signalling a more mature phase of adoption.

“India’s GCC ecosystem is undergoing a fundamental reset. The shift from scale to value is now well underway, with AI acting as the catalyst. GCCs are increasingly taking ownership of global products, platforms, and business outcomes, positioning India as a strategic nerve centre for enterprises worldwide. The next phase of growth will be defined by how effectively these centres can drive enterprise-wide transformation and deliver measurable impact,” Rajesh Nambiar, President, Nasscom, said.

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Operational maturity

Operational maturity is also improving. Nearly 50% of GCCs now function at a high maturity level, with a growing emphasis on decision-making, AI governance, and enterprise-wide standards. The time taken to reach this stage is shrinking, with 96% of GCCs established after FY21 launching with a product or portfolio mandate. Leadership structures are evolving in tandem, with 64% of site leaders holding dual roles spanning global functions and local operations.

Workforce strategies are shifting alongside. Hiring is expected to remain steady but measured, with organisations prioritising reskilling, redeployment, and AI-led productivity over linear headcount growth. Demand for AI-centric skills has increased by 1.5 percentage points in the past six months.

“The India advantage today is unmistakable — one of the largest and fastest-growing pools of AI and digital talent in the world. That advantage is now translating into something far more structural. GCCs are increasingly moving beyond execution to take ownership of products, platforms, and AI-led transformation, and three quarters will operate at high maturity by 2030,” Pari Natarajan, CEO, Zinnov, said.

Partnership-led models are becoming integral to value creation. More than 90% of leading GCCs collaborate with universities, while over half co-innovate with startups. These partnerships are enabling faster research and development ownership and access to specialised digital talent.

The report estimates that nearly 75% of India’s GCCs could evolve into portfolio or transformation hubs over the next five years, driven by deeper AI integration, workforce transformation, and a shift towards outcome-based performance models.