India GCCs Leap to AI Deployment

India's Global Capability Centres (GCCs) are transitioning from AI experimentation to full-scale enterprise deployment, with a significant 58% now investing in Agentic AI. The EY GCC Pulse Survey 2025 reveals that 83% of GCCs are already investing in Generative AI (GenAI), marking a rise in pilot programs. This adoption is transforming GCCs into strategic innovation hubs for global enterprises, driven by increasing digital maturity and expanded responsibilities.

GCCs are prioritizing GenAI applications in customer service (65%), finance (53%), and operations (49%), demonstrating a focus on immediate impact. Concurrently, upskilling initiatives are accelerating, with 81% of GCCs training their internal teams. The survey highlights a strategic shift, with GCCs increasingly taking on global decision-making roles, moving beyond traditional cost-saving functions to become centers for innovation and AI-driven transformation.

Geographically, Bengaluru leads GCC concentration (46%), followed by Pune (39%) and Hyderabad (24%), with emerging activity in tier-2 cities. Key priorities include digital transformation and cost reduction, with substantial budgets allocated to technology and talent. Despite facing challenges like regulatory complexities and talent shortages, India's GCCs are leveraging their talent pool and AI ecosystem to create innovation arbitrage, fundamentally changing global work operations.