GCCs expected to evolve into an important base, says Furukawa
Japanese-origin NTT DATA says its five-month-old GCC Innovation Acceleration Program supports global companies rapidly establishing and scaling their strategic offshore hubs in India, including Global Capability Centres (GCC) and other innovation and delivery hubs.
Launched in October 2025, the program aims to support more than 50 companies over the next three years.
The demand for highly skilled IT personnel has expanded globally, and as a result, companies are increasingly using overseas bases to meet innovation needs. NTT DATA identified India as a stand-out market to launch the GCC Innovation Acceleration Program because of its abundance of talent and strong technical capabilities, NTT Data said on 15 Mar.
India’s GCC ecosystem, delivering IT services and back-office functions to multinationals, is poised for strong growth of nearly 70%, targeting business volume of US$110 billion in 2030 from the current US$65 billion, according to NTT Data’s recent report. The report also forecasts more than 2,500 centres and a workforce of nearly 4.5 million professionals by 2030.
Through the GCC Innovation Acceleration Program, NTT DATA will:
Support GCC establishment and enhancement from planning and governance design to talent development and process optimization.
Accelerate innovation through advanced technologies by leveraging agentic AI, generative AI, high performance computing, digital twin, smart robotics, blockchain and IOWN.
Promote co-creation R&D from proof-of-concept implementation to commercialization, supported by a global network of Innovation Centres.
Avinash Joshi, Executive Managing Director, India, NTT DATA, elaborated, “While GCCs in India are becoming global innovation engines, enterprise-scale AI adoption is still in its early days. Fewer than 20% of GCCs use AI as a core capability today. NTT DATA brings the expertise, platforms and global innovation ecosystem needed to help organizations rapidly scale AI and unlock tangible business value.”
By combining its advanced technologies with the knowledge cultivated at its global bases, NTT DATA aims to not only improve operational efficiency in the short term but also enhance long-term competitiveness and create new value. NTT DATA has already advanced various initiatives at GCCs and other innovation and delivery hubs in India, including Unilever GCC Hub Bengaluru India, where it supported the formulation of a global innovation strategy and promoted the utilization of R&D advanced technologies.
Amit Tawani, Lead IT Manager, R&D IT, Unilever GCC Hub Bengaluru India, commented “We are pleased to collaborate with the NTT DATA India Innovation Centre to deliver transformative solutions that empower our Global R&D teams. This partnership allows us to harness advanced technologies, streamline innovation processes and deliver future-fit solutions for Unilever globally.”and hav
NTT DATA is also working with Denso International India Pvt Ltd on Digital Platform Development for Mobility Circular Economy and Integrated Manufacturing and with a leading global automotive company to drive innovation through digital twin technology and process improvements.
Building on these achievements, NTT DATA will work together with innovation centers around the world, supporting innovation for a wide range of global clients, including Japanese companies.
“GCCs are expected to evolve into an important base that supports the competitiveness of global companies,” said Hiroshi Furukawa, Head of NTT DATA Innovation Centre. “Through the GCC Innovation Acceleration Program, NTT DATA will utilize the strength of its global workforce of over 190,000, along with its broad technology portfolio, to advance co-creation R&D with a diverse range of clients and accelerate the creation of new value.”
NTT DATA is a US$30+ billion business and technology services leader, serving 75% of the Fortune Global 100 and has experts in more than 70 countries, supporting clients access to a robust ecosystem of innovation centres as well as established and start-up partners. NTT DATA, a part of NTT Group, invests over US$3 billion each year in R&D. fiinews.com
