We want to build complex AI capabilities in Dehradun and scale them globally: Steve Larson, Digital Divide Data
Digital Divide Data (DDD) has opened its first Global Capability Centre (GCC) in India in Dehradun, focused on AI, robotics and physical AI. The centre began operations in August and has already onboarded 150 employees.
In an interaction with Express Computer, Steve Larson, Chief Operating Officer, Digital Divide Data, discusses the rationale behind choosing Dehradun, the capabilities being developed at the centre, the talent strategy and plans to become a global centre of excellence.
Why Dehradun? What made the city stand out as the right location for DDD’s India Centre of Excellence?
DDD evaluated several locations, including Noida, Gurgaon, Lucknow and Hyderabad, before choosing Dehradun. The city’s young talent pool and the opportunity to develop that talent locally were key factors in the decision.
A major consideration was the ability to create technology careers without requiring young professionals from Uttarakhand to move to larger cities. DDD wanted to establish opportunities that would allow local talent to remain connected to their families and communities while pursuing careers in technology.
The company also assessed the region’s universities and technical institutions to understand the potential talent pipeline. DDD is working with institutions such as UPES and the Women Institute of Technology to identify students early and create a pathway into the workforce after graduation.
What specific global capabilities or functions will this Centre of Excellence own for DDD?
The centre is being built around specialised AI and data capabilities, including data ingestion and curation, multimodal data annotation, AI model evaluation, LLM fine-tuning support and egocentric data collection.
Teams in Dehradun are already supporting projects involving data used in foundation-model development. The centre is also undertaking egocentric data collection for physical AI and robotics, where employees use VR headsets to capture activities and movements that can help train systems such as humanoid robots.
DDD’s work on low-resource languages is an important capability. Languages such as Garhwali have significantly less digital training data than languages such as English and Hindi. DDD works on collecting and curating data to improve the representation of such languages in large language models, while also helping AI systems understand regional cultural nuances.
The centre will also house engineers, data scientists and leadership functions, including finance and HR, making it a broader capability base rather than a conventional data-processing operation.
How do you see the Dehradun centre evolving from a delivery hub into a strategic GCC-like capability centre?
DDD’s ambition is for the Dehradun facility to evolve into a Centre of Excellence within the next three years, with a greater share of the company’s complex AI work originating from the location.
The centre is not intended to remain focused primarily on lower-complexity tasks. While such work will continue to be part of DDD’s global operations, Dehradun is expected to increasingly handle specialised and technically demanding assignments.
Some capabilities are already being developed in Dehradun that are not currently present at DDD’s other locations. The strategy is to establish these capabilities locally, refine the processes and expertise, and subsequently transfer the learning across the global network.
The approach is “nail it here, then scale it,” build and prove the capability in Dehradun before taking it to other locations.
What talent advantages does Dehradun offer, and how will DDD build a sustainable local talent pipeline?
DDD is taking a potential-led approach to hiring in Dehradun rather than limiting recruitment to candidates with extensive prior technology experience. While many employees have an IT background, the company does not make a university degree or extensive work experience an absolute requirement for every role.
New recruits undergo around two to four weeks of initial training covering AI fundamentals, use cases, computer skills and hands-on learning. Once assigned to a client project, they receive additional training based on the client’s specific tools, technologies and requirements.
The company is also developing relationships with local educational institutions to create a steady pipeline of talent. By engaging with students before graduation, DDD aims to give them a direct pathway into technology employment within Uttarakhand.
What would success look like for this centre over the next three years, in terms of scale, capabilities and global impact?
The immediate scale-up target is significant, with the centre expected to grow from its current 150 employees to between 800 and 1,000 employees in the coming months. I see capability development, rather than headcount, as the more important measure of long-term success.
Over the next three years, I expect Dehradun to take on increasingly complex assignments from DDD’s global clients, particularly across advanced AI, physical AI, robotics and related areas.
The centre is already undertaking work that is not replicated across DDD’s other locations, providing a foundation for this transition. The larger objective is to establish Dehradun as a source of specialised expertise that can subsequently strengthen DDD’s global delivery network.
The centre’s success will ultimately be measured by its ability to combine advanced global AI work with sustainable technology careers for talent in Uttarakhand.
