- Posted on : May 24, 2025
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- Industry : Corporate
- Type: Blog

Interesting Nuggets from the NASSCOM GCC Summit 2025
On April 22-23, 2025, I had the privilege of representing Infogain at the NASSCOM GCC Summit in Hyderabad where close to 1,800 global enterprise leaders participated in 75+ sessions and roundtables. The narrative set for this event across the event was real and futuristic, with a view to help participants push the envelope when it comes to improving corporations' footprints in India's thriving Global Capability Center (GCC) ecosystem - expanding R&D, deriving value through investments in AI, ML and data analytics; and shout out to the world about India’s ‘new shiny toy’.
These two days offered face-to-face interactions with decision-makers from billion-dollar conglomerates to SMEs across industries, all united by a common vision: leveraging India's exceptional talent pool to drive their next phase of growth and innovation through their investment in GCCs.
*With over 1,700 GCCs currently operating in India employing more than 1.9 million professionals, the market has reached an unprecedented scale.
The GCC Revolution: Cost is Old School – Now Capability is the Mantra
What struck me most during my conversations and while the sessions were in play, was the evolved narrative around GCCs; through which the traditional view of India as merely a destination for cost-arbitrage and talent pile-up has transformed dramatically. Today's GCCs are strategic innovation hubs driving digital transformation and providing a competitive advantage with AI as the emerging focal point.
During an engaging panel discussion on day one, a CXO of one of the Fortune 50 companies in the manufacturing space shared how their center in India's Silicon Valley evolved from back-office support to becoming their global AI and automation excellence hub. He voiced how a 50-person team handling routine processes has transformed into a 2,000-strong innovation powerhouse reshaping their global technology roadmap.
Beyond Metros and Into the New Tiers
One recurring theme across my discussions was the growing interest in India's Tier-2 cities. While Bengaluru, Delhi NCR, Hyderabad and Pune remain GCC strongholds, forward-thinking enterprises are increasingly exploring Coimbatore, Ahmedabad and Chandigarh. A BFSI leader I spoke with shared their plans to establish a 300-person fintech innovation center in Jaipur, citing the perfect blend of infrastructure readiness, talent accessibility and operational advantages.
There was a constant narrative of not wanting to follow the herd and tap the potential in emerging cities through first-mover advantages and a broader view on talent acquisition and retention. Furthermore, the intriguing discussion on integrating Gen-Z, consistent upskilling, and careers in an AI-driven future were constant talking points during talent-focused discussions.
Collaborative Business Models: Redefining Partnerships
Differentiated GCC partnerships resonated strongly with potential collaborators – that agrees with our proven methodology that combines operational excellence with innovation- accelerators, driven effectively by an AI-first approach. Rather than the traditional "build-operate-transfer" model, our framework emphasizes "collaborate-innovate-scale" - a philosophy that has delivered measurable outcomes for our existing partners.
In one of the 'Outside-In Perspective' C-suite panel discussions, executives from a life sciences company cited how they were impressed by their partners ability to establish a specialized R&D capability center in just 90 days—cutting typical setup time by high double-digit percentage. This is a great example of how a nimble GCC strategy can deliver quick, rich rewards in the long term.
Digital and AI-First GCCs: The Highway of Success
My interactions at the event reinforced the conviction that tomorrow's GCCs will be fundamentally digital-first and powered by AI. Integrating AI and advanced analytics is no longer optional but imperative. Enterprises exploring the GCC route are looking beyond immediate operational advantages to long-term strategic capabilities—specifically, how these centers can drive company-wide digital transformation, create intellectual property, and serve the world from India as a vantage point.
As India's GCC ecosystem matures, organizations like Infogain are uniquely positioned to guide enterprises through this evolution. Our years of built-in expertise, glocal perspective, and framework-focused methodologies make us a partner of choice for businesses seeking not just to establish a presence in India, but to leverage its transformative and multiplicative true potential.
If you were at the NASSCOM GCC event and we missed meeting, I would love to learn about the value this event provided. Also, if you are a global firm contemplating your GCC strategy, I would love to schedule a conversation to understand possible areas of collaboration.
Reference
*https://nasscom.in/knowledge-center/publications/india-gcc-landscape-report-5-year-journey