By Aditya Joshi, COO, SA Technologies
From Back-Office to Braintrust
Not long ago, India’s Global Capability Centres (GCCs) were simply backroom engines—managing payroll, IT help desks, or processing data to save global companies time and money. Fast forward to today, and these same centers are at the heart of transforming how the world’s biggest businesses invent, experiment, and scale with artificial intelligence.
India is now home to more than 1,700 GCCs, which employ nearly 1.9 million professionals. These centers have quietly shifted from checking boxes to imagining what’s next. Today, instead of following orders, they help global firms dream up new products, overhaul business models, and set the pace in AI adoption.
How the GCCs Got Here: The Quiet Revolution
The evolution wasn’t sudden, but it’s profound. In the late ’90s, GCCs meant cost-cutting. In the 2010s, cloud and automation let them do more—and do it faster. Over the last decade, AI and intelligent automation opened a completely new frontier:
- Early Days: Focused on cost, efficiency, and routine work.
- Transformation: Moved into research, finance, cloud, and customer service.
- Reinvention: Now leading the design, deployment, and scaling of advanced AI systems for entire enterprises.
What’s changed? GCCs are no longer just the hands but the brains and the imagination for many multinational companies.
Today’s GCCs: AI Nerve Centers
- Partners, Not Order-Takers
GCCs work alongside global headquarters, co-creating new AI models, reimagining products, and embedding intelligent technology in every business layer. They’re shaping the roadmap, not just following it.
- Hubs of AI Centers of Excellence
Within these centers, dedicated AI labs now thrive—covering everything from Generative AI to Agentic AI, healthcare innovation to retail optimisation. And these are more than just “innovation labs”—they’re actively building, shipping, and iterating cutting-edge solutions, becoming magnets for niche talent and ambitious engineers.
- Owning Data and Building Trust
It’s not just about making things smarter; it’s about doing it responsibly. Indian GCCs are now stewards of enterprise data, creating robust digital pipelines and ensuring that AI models are ethical, transparent, and accountable—meeting global standards for fairness and security.
- Agentic AI & Digital Colleagues
We’re entering an era where automation means more than efficiency. GCCs are at the forefront, developing intelligent agents—AI “colleagues” that can learn, adapt, and make decisions. This isn’t science fiction. Prototypes are already in testing, shaping a future where intelligent assistants are woven into daily operations.
- Upskilling: Building the Next AI Leaders
The real force behind all this change? People. India’s GCCs are investing big in upskilling—turning programmers into AI architects and project managers into transformation leaders, ensuring there’s both technical and business know-how to match the innovation.
Why India—And Why Now?
What gives India’s GCCs their unique edge?
- Talent with Context: It’s not just about numbers, but deep expertise in AI, engineering, and domain-specific challenges—meaning talent that “gets” the industries they serve.
- Robust Infrastructure: World-class cloud, data, and enterprise platforms are now the norm.
- Synergy with Startups and Academia: GCCs draw energy and inspiration from India’s booming startup scene and top-tier universities, keeping ideas fresh and pipelines full.
- Domain Breadth: Indian centers serve sectors from banking to retail to healthcare, giving cross-industry perspective and insight.
- The Rise of “Nano GCCs”: Smaller cities—think Coimbatore, Trichy, Madurai—are hosting new centers, tapping into under-discovered talent and spreading innovation nationwide.
More Than “Capability”: The Shift to Value
The term “GCC” is itself evolving. Many companies now call them Global Value Centers (GVCs)—a sign of a deeper shift.
Then (GCC) – Now (GVC)
Delivered services- Deliver value and knowledge
Took instructions- Shape strategy
Cost centers- Engines of innovation
Low autonomy- Shared global ownership
These centers now play end-to-end roles—sometimes even feeding their best talent directly into top executive positions globally.
Separating Substance from Hype
Not every team with an “AI CoE” sign on its door is changing the world. The secret to the true AI powerhouses?
- Real autonomy, not just offshore support
- Full-stack capability—from data engineering to ethics
- A clear innovation mission, linked directly to business outcomes
- A culture of ownership and accountability for results, not just activity
India’s Innovation Capitals: Leading From the Front
India’s GCCs write an exciting new chapter in global AI. These aren’t just centers of productivity—they’re hubs of bold ideas, leadership, and transformation. They’re finished playing catch-up. They’re leading. And as AI’s impact continues to explode, GCCs here are poised not just to follow trends, but to shape what the future of business, technology, and work will look like.
India’s GCCs have become the places where world-changing ideas are hatched, tested, and scaled. They’re not just supporting the global enterprise AI revolution—they’re driving it from the front lines.