HCL Technologies Limited has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Government of Odisha to establish a Global Technology Center in Bhubaneswar. The facility, designed to house 5,000 employees, is expected to begin operations by 2028 and will focus on delivering AI-led digital solutions to global enterprises. This expansion underscores the company’s strategy to decentralize its delivery footprint across India while boosting the local technology ecosystem in the state.

The agreement was announced on July 24, 2026, through a filing with the Bombay Stock Exchange and the National Stock Exchange of India Limited. The new center will complement HCLTech's proposed AI Data Center located in the upcoming Odisha Sovereign AI Park. Management indicated that the investment aims to generate direct and indirect employment opportunities while strengthening the local talent pool through structured engagement with educational institutions and government bodies.

Rahul Singh, COO – Corporate Functions at HCLTech, stated that the move aligns with the company's "New Vistas" initiative, which focuses on expanding presence across India to bring opportunities closer to talent hubs. He noted that Odisha offers a combination of quality infrastructure and a vibrant talent pool, positioning Bhubaneswar as a key global innovation and delivery hub.

Shri Vishal Kumar Dev, IAS, Additional Chief Secretary of the Government of Odisha, welcomed the decision, noting that the partnership would enhance Bhubaneswar's status as a promising technology hub in India.

Expansion Details

What the Numbers Show

The establishment of this center adds to HCLTech's substantial domestic footprint. The company currently employs over 170,000 people in India across campuses in Noida, Bengaluru, Chennai, Hyderabad, Pune, Lucknow, Nagpur, Madurai, Vijayawada, and GIFT City. Globally, the firm reports a workforce of more than 223,000 people across 60 countries. With consolidated revenues totaling $14.8 billion for the 12 months ending June 2026, the Bhubaneswar facility represents a strategic capacity addition aimed at supporting continued service delivery growth without relying solely on traditional metro-centric hiring models.

HCL Technologies signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on July 24, 2026, with Sarvam and the Government of Odisha to establish its first AI data center in Bhubaneswar. The project, located within the upcoming Odisha Sovereign AI Park, carries a planned capital outlay of Rs 14,257 crore, including financial assistance from the state government. This collaboration aims to accelerate India’s sovereign AI ecosystem by leveraging HCLTech’s full-stack AI capabilities and Sarvam’s foundation models to deliver sector-specific applications to public and private enterprises.

Strategic Partnership Details

The MoU was signed in the presence of key leadership from all three entities, including Roshni Nadar Malhotra, Chairperson of HCLTech; C Vijayakumar, CEO and Managing Director of HCLTech; Pratyush Kumar, Co-Founder of Sarvam; Mohan Charan Majhi, Chief Minister of Odisha; and Dr Mukesh Mahaling, Minister of Electronics and IT, Government of Odisha. The initiative aligns with the broader vision of Digital India and Atmanirbhar Bharat, focusing on delivering multi-lingual AI-based services to last-mile beneficiaries.

Executive Commentary

Roshni Nadar Malhotra emphasized HCLTech’s role as a flagbearer of India’s technology industry, stating that the company strives to enable India’s sovereign AI ecosystem through focused investments and partnerships. C Vijayakumar described the move as a milestone in HCLTech’s full-stack AI strategy, noting that Odisha offers a progressive policy environment and excellent infrastructure. He highlighted that the partnership will unlock scale in their strategic collaboration with Sarvam.

Pratyush Kumar, Co-Founder of Sarvam, stated that the Odisha Sovereign AI Park will connect high-performance compute with Indian models and real-world applications. He expressed excitement about bringing Sarvam’s full-stack AI capabilities to enterprises and public systems at scale alongside HCLTech.

Market Context

India remains one of the fastest-growing technology markets globally and a significant growth driver for HCLTech. The country’s data center ecosystem is expanding rapidly due to strong demand from the digital economy, data localization requirements, and critical infrastructure needs for GPU deployments supporting AI training and inference workloads. HCLTech reported consolidated revenues of $14.8 billion for the 12 months ending June 2026, underscoring its substantial operational scale as it enters the sovereign AI infrastructure space.