Tamil Nadu is rapidly positioning itself as a key player in India’s Global Capability Centre (GCC) landscape. The state, with its thriving network of GCCs in Chennai and Coimbatore, is taking bold steps to establish Hosur as the next major hub. This expansion outpaces Karnataka and Telangana, where such centres are concentrated primarily in Bengaluru and Hyderabad. Tamil Nadu’s strategic spread of GCCs across its cities offers a competitive advantage, as it attracts businesses and talent from all corners of the country.
Currently, Tamil Nadu is home to more than 250 of India’s 1,800 GCCs, employing a workforce of 150,000. By 2030, the state expects that number to swell to 460. During the Business Standard Tamil Nadu Round Table 2025, experts discussed how GCCs are driving economic growth. “GCCs have evolved from basic service-level agreements to owning and managing important projects,” said Gangapriya Chakraverti, MD at Ford Business Solutions. These centres are now pivotal in product development, utilizing high-end analytics to make crucial decisions.
GCCs in Tamil Nadu span across industries, including finance, healthcare, aerospace, and retail. Global giants like Ford, Pfizer, Amazon, and Citibank have their GCCs in Chennai, with AstraZeneca recently expanding its centre in the city, marking it as the company’s largest worldwide. This growth is in line with the state’s goal of becoming a $1 trillion economy by 2030, as estimated by state officials.
What makes Tamil Nadu particularly attractive to GCCs is its pool of engineering talent. The state accounts for 20% of India’s STEM graduates, with 25% of all hires for such roles coming from here. Cities like Coimbatore, Trichy, Salem, and Madurai—close to top engineering colleges—are also gaining traction. “Talent is the new currency, and Tamil Nadu is printing it,” remarked Kewyn George of Expeditors. Coimbatore, in particular, is leading as India’s top Tier-II city for GCCs, further cementing the state’s position as a talent hub.
Collaboration between industries, universities, and the government will play a crucial role in the state’s growth. As Deloitte’s Jaikumar Subramanian pointed out, policy and knowledge exchange are essential for unlocking Tamil Nadu’s full potential. Beyond manufacturing, the state is evolving into a thriving service hub, excelling in business processes, engineering R&D, and software product development. The future looks bright, with Chennai set to add 12-13 million square feet of premium office space by 2025-26.
As Tamil Nadu leads the way, other cities in India are closely watching its GCC transformation. The state’s vision to strengthen its knowledge economy and tap into global opportunities continues to inspire growth and innovation.
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