India added 183 global capability centre units in the first half of calendar year 2026, with quarterly additions rising sharply to 120 in April-June from 63 in January-March, according to data from UnearthIQ by UnearthInsight.
The expansion included 73 greenfield centres and 110 brownfield expansions. Hi-tech companies led the activity with 35 units, while US-headquartered multinationals accounted for 57% of all entries and expansions. Growth in tier-II cities continued at a slower pace, with expansion still concentrated in Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Pune.
The numbers underline the continuing centrality of India in global enterprise technology operations. GCCs have moved well beyond back-office delivery into product engineering, cybersecurity, cloud operations, data platforms, AI enablement, finance transformation and industry-specific digital programmes. The higher Q2 addition count points to renewed momentum among multinational companies setting up or expanding India-based capability centres.
The mix of greenfield and brownfield activity is important. New entrants indicate fresh global companies choosing India for technology and operations capability, while expansions suggest existing GCCs are increasing mandates, headcount, technical depth or functional scope. The hi-tech segment’s lead also shows how software, platform, semiconductor-adjacent, cloud and digital-native enterprises continue to see India as a strategic talent market.
The metro concentration reflects a familiar pattern. Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Pune remain preferred hubs because of senior engineering depth, startup adjacency, cloud and product talent, mature vendor ecosystems and leadership availability. Slower tier-II growth suggests that distributed GCC expansion remains a longer-term project rather than an immediate replacement for established technology clusters.
For enterprise technology leaders, the H1 data reinforces India’s role as a large-scale execution and innovation base. GCC growth is increasingly tied to transformation mandates, AI deployment, platform ownership and cybersecurity operations rather than only cost arbitrage. That also means India-based centres are likely to face higher expectations around product accountability, governance, domain knowledge and leadership maturity.
The continued expansion of GCC units also has implications for hiring, office absorption, specialised training and senior technology leadership demand. As global companies expand mandates in India, competition for experienced engineering managers, AI architects, cybersecurity leaders, data executives and product heads is expected to stay intense across major hubs.
