“India happens to be Claude.ai’s second-largest user base in the world,” Ghose said, adding that Indian users also account for the highest share of technical and computational tasks within Claude. “What this really means is that people here want to achieve a higher level of autonomy than the rest of the world.”
She was speaking at the Nascom Global Capability Center (GCC) Summit in Mumbai on Wednesday.
He pointed out that AI has significantly increased productivity, noting that tasks that previously took four hours can now be completed in about 15 minutes. “That’s about 15 times more,” she said, noting how rapidly domestic adoption is expanding.
Nascom said at the conference that India’s GCC revenue reached $98.4 billion in FY26, growing at an annual rate of 9.9% over the past five years, as the GCC transforms from a cost center to a revenue center.
India added 510 new GCCs during the period, taking the total number to 2,177, according to a joint study by consulting firm Zinnov and software sector industry associations.
The number of employees grew by 6.2% to 2.36 million, which is about half of India’s tech workforce. However, the rise of AI is starting to slow hiring momentum, with many Gulf Cooperation countries reviewing vacant positions, hiring selective new hires, and even suspending automatic filling. Nasscom executives said labor arbitrage would no longer be a growth indicator for GCC countries. AI-focused skillsets have increased by 1.5% in job openings over the past six months. However, non-AI employment is declining, the report says.
Geographically, India’s GCC expansion continues to be concentrated in tier-1 cities, with Bangalore and Hyderabad hosting nearly two-thirds of new centers. Bengaluru continues to dominate with over 1,000 GCC units and over a third of the GCC talent set up in the country, while Hyderabad has emerged as a preferred destination for BFSI GCC. Cities like Coimbatore, Ahmedabad and Kochi are emerging as alternative hubs.
Companies headquartered in the Americas continue to dominate India’s GCC region, accounting for nearly two-thirds of new start-ups and approximately 63% of the installed base. Sector-wise, software and internet companies are leading growth, followed by BFSI and industrial companies, while new start-ups are emerging from heavy asset industries such as automotive, chemicals and materials.
Private equity is also playing an increasing role. Of the 500 PE-backed/acquired GCCs in India, 32% were set up in the last five years.
The nature of work within the GCC is also rapidly evolving. Over 90% of India’s GCCs are now multi-functional, but still focus on core functions such as engineering, IT, and BPM (business process management).
