This article has been contributed by Ankur Mehta, Chief of Staff, Stylework
For decades, India’s Global Capability Centers have been known as cost-effective back offices, handling processes, running operations, and delivering efficiency to global multinationals. But that picture is rapidly changing. Today, India’s GCCs have transformed into strategic hubs of innovation, influencing not just how companies operate but also how they compete in the global market.
The scale of this transformation is staggering. India is now home to over 1,800 GCCs, employing 2.16 million professionals and contributing $68 billion in direct value addition to the economy. What was once a peripheral support system has become a central pillar of India’s technology and business ecosystem.
A New Era of GCC Evolution
The story of GCCs in India is no longer about cost arbitrage. More than 70% of these centers are actively driving digital transformation initiatives for their parent organizations far beyond their original mandate of efficiency and support.
This evolution has been enabled by India’s unmatched talent base. With 1.5 million engineers graduating every year and 16% of the world’s AI talent pool residing here, India has become a global magnet for cutting-edge work.
The results are visible in hard numbers. In FY24, 24 GCCs crossed the $1 billion revenue mark, doubling from just 12 five years ago. The sector’s growth trajectory is even more ambitious: projections suggest GCCs could generate $105–110 billion in revenue by 2030, employing between 2.8 and 4.5 million people. For an industry that began as a cost-saving exercise, this is nothing short of a reinvention.
Technology as the Core Driver
What truly sets this new wave of GCCs is their deep focus on technology and innovation. Roughly 75–80% of new centers in India are being set up with mandates around emerging technologies such as GenAI, AI/ML, blockchain, AR/VR, data analytics, big data, RPA, and cloud computing.
This pivot has created an impressive 185 AI/ML centers of excellence, fuelling innovation across industries as diverse as healthcare, financial services, automotive, and retail. Equally striking is the shift in research and development (R&D). Close to half of all GCCs in India now run R&D, analytics, and product innovation functions, activities once jealously guarded at global headquarters.
The ripple effect on intellectual property is profound. India granted nearly 100,000 patents in FY24, a massive leap from fewer than 25,000 in FY20. Much of this surge can be traced back to GCC-led research efforts, firmly placing India on the global innovation map.
Sanvi Barjatya
Rethinking Talent and Geographic Spread
The changing face of GCCs is also reflected in their workforce. In FY24–25 alone, GCCs created over 100,000 new jobs, outpacing traditional IT services firms for the second consecutive year. Unlike before, the hiring strategy is now laser-focused on mid-level professionals with specialized skills in areas like cloud, cybersecurity, AI, and data science.
Diversity is another area of progress. Women currently make up 40% of the GCC workforce, and with concerted investments in diversity and inclusion programs, that number is set to rise. This not only strengthens corporate culture but also deepens the innovation pipeline.
Geography, too, is shifting. While Bengaluru continues to dominate with 42% of GCC office space, cities like Hyderabad and Chennai are becoming strong contenders. Beyond the metros, Tier-2 cities are emerging as the next big frontier, thanks to 40–60% lower operating costs and 30–40% lower attrition rates compared to major hubs. This makes them attractive options for global enterprises looking to balance cost with innovation.
The Workspace Revolution: Stylework’s Strategic Role
As GCCs scale, one challenge keeps coming up: infrastructure. Traditional leasing models no longer fit the dynamic, fast-scaling needs of global enterprises. Flexible workspace solutions are filling this gap and reshaping the future of how GCCs operate. By 2026, GCCs are expected to occupy 42% of India’s rental workspace, compared to around 32% today. Already, in the first half of 2025, GCCs accounted for 39% of total office space demand, making them the largest occupier segment in India.
This surge in demand has created opportunities for new-age platforms. With 4,000+ workspaces across 120+ cities and partnerships with 500+ workspace brands, Stylework offers agility and scale that traditional leasing simply cannot. Its technology-driven platform is particularly valuable for GCCs. A single enterprise-grade dashboard enables companies to track real-time workspace usage, manage multiple sites, and adopt Core+Flex strategies that combine stable headquarters with flexible, distributed workspaces.
For GCCs expanding into Tier-2 cities, this agility becomes a game-changer. With Stylework’s established presence in these markets, companies can scale quickly while keeping costs in check, exactly what’s needed to power India’s distributed workforce model.
A Global Impact
India’s GCC transformation is not just a domestic story. It has significant global implications. More than 130 UK companies now run GCCs in India, employing over 200,000 professionals. This makes the UK the second-largest GCC cohort after the US.
These centers are not mere support arms. They are building technologies, products, and services that directly impact global competitiveness. A recent analysis shows that companies leveraging Indian GCCs for digital transformation are 2.5 times more likely to achieve above-average revenue growth. In other words, India’s GCCs are not just helping multinationals save money; they are helping them win in the marketplace.
Strategic Imperatives for Leaders
So, what does this mean for business leaders and decision-makers? The transformation of GCCs offers lessons and opportunities, but only if approached with the right strategy. Here are four imperatives:
- Invest in High-Value Capabilities: Focus on building centers of excellence in AI, analytics, and emerging technologies rather than limiting GCCs to transactional functions.
- Embrace Flexible Infrastructure: Partner with platforms to ensure workspaces remain agile and scalable, especially in a distributed, multi-city setup.
- Build Local Innovation Ecosystems: Collaborate with India’s startups, universities, and research institutions to accelerate innovation and shorten product development cycles.
- Prioritize Talent Development: Make continuous upskilling and reskilling a non-negotiable part of GCC’s strategy to stay ahead in fast-evolving technologies.
Looking Ahead
The journey of GCCs in India reflects a broader truth: global business models are shifting from efficiency-led strategies to innovation-led growth. What began as an experiment in cost savings has matured into one of the most powerful engines of global transformation.
For India, this is a defining opportunity. GCCs are not just strengthening their role in the global economy; they are reshaping how global corporations think about strategy, agility, and innovation. For the world, they represent a new way of building competitive advantage: by leveraging India’s talent, technology, and infrastructure to drive next-generation solutions.
The future, then, does not belong to organizations that view GCCs as cost centers. It belongs to those who see them for what they are becoming: strategic assets, capable of leading innovation at a global scale. With enablers like Stylework powering flexibility and growth, India’s GCCs are poised to play an even bigger role in defining the business landscape of the 21st century.
Shubham Kumar