Over 1,200 global capability centres embed AI and machine learning capabilities

Bengaluru: Over 1,200 global capability centres (GCCs) have Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning capabilities and more than 250 run dedicated AI/ML Centres of Excellence (CoE) with a talent base of 250,000 AI professionals.

Nasscom, in partnership with Zinnov, on Wednesday released the findings of its latest GCC Landscape Report, titled, 'GCC Value Orbit: From Delivery Engine to Enterprise Nerve Centre' on the sidelines of the Nasscom GCC Summit 2026. The findings revealed that India is the second-largest employer of enterprise AI talent globally (28% of the global GCC AI talent pool), after the US.

AI hiring in India was up significantly in the second half of FY25. AI talent is deputed to business units and domain talent is rotating into AI CoEs. As per the findings, India currently hosts 2117 GCCs operating across 3,728 units and employing around 2.36 million professionals as of FY26. The ecosystem’s total market revenue stands at $98.4 billion.

The report highlighted that about 75% of the country's GCCs can reach Portfolio or Transformation status by FY2030.

About 46% of GCCs now operate at Portfolio or Transformation Hub maturity, up from 42% in FY21. What took 10 years for GCCs to reach portfolio stage now takes 5 years as 27% of new GCCs reach portfolio stage within five years. Portfolio Hub is the one where GCCs have product, platform and horizontal competencies with global roles and strategic partnerships. It refers to a mature, strategic stage of evolution and takes end-to-end ownership.

Transformation Hub is high-maturing hubs, driving innovation and AI adoption. According to the report, 5% of the country's GCCs have already transitioned into high-maturity hubs.

Also, GCC real estate run is expanding from 263 mn to 350 mn sq ft. The report added that GCC hiring will continue to be resilient and at moderate pace.

Rajesh Nambiar, President, Nasscom, said, “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, he added.

"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. The opportunity is to build on this by investing in frontier capabilities and deepening the ties between talent, academia, and industry. The centres that get this right will not simply benefit from India's rise. They will be the reason for it," said Pari Natarajan, CEO, Zinnov.