HCLTech builds AI ecosystem in Odisha with its first data centre and global technology hub

The company’s AI infrastructure and delivery investments bring together compute, foundation models and engineering capabilities to support enterprise AI adoption.

HCLTech is expanding its AI footprint in India with two initiatives in Odisha, including an AI data centre in partnership with Sarvam and the Government of Odisha, along with a Global Technology Centre in Bhubaneswar focused on AI-led digital solutions.

The initiatives will help strengthen India’s sovereign AI ecosystem by bringing together AI infrastructure, foundation models, engineering capabilities and technology talent.

As part of the plan, HCLTech will establish its first AI data centre at the upcoming Odisha Sovereign AI Park. The facility will be developed in partnership with Sarvam, an AI company building Indian foundation models, and the Government of Odisha.

The planned capital outlay for the data centre project is ₹14,257 crore, including financial assistance from the Odisha government.

HCLTech said the data centre will leverage its full-stack AI capabilities and Sarvam’s foundation models to help enterprises and public sector organisations develop sector-specific AI applications.

The initiative will focus on supporting AI workloads that require local infrastructure, including multilingual AI services and applications aligned with India’s data sovereignty requirements.

“The Odisha Sovereign AI Park will connect high-performance compute with Indian models and real-world applications,” said Sarvam co-founder Pratyush Kumar.

The company said the facility will contribute to India’s growing AI infrastructure ecosystem as organisations look for capabilities around AI training, inference and deployment.

Building AI delivery capabilities alongside infrastructure

Alongside the AI data centre, HCLTech has also signed an agreement with the Government of Odisha to establish a Global Technology Centre in Bhubaneswar.

The facility is expected to house 5,000 employees and is planned to begin operations by 2028.

The technology centre will focus on developing and delivering AI-led digital solutions for global enterprises while building next-generation technology skills in the region.

HCLTech COO - corporate functions, Rahul Singh, said the centre is part of the company’s New Vistas initiative aimed at expanding its presence across India and bringing technology opportunities closer to emerging talent hubs.

The company plans to work with local educational institutions and government bodies to strengthen the talent ecosystem around emerging technologies.

Creating an ecosystem around enterprise AI adoption

For enterprises moving from AI experimentation towards production deployments, access to infrastructure, AI models and engineering expertise is becoming important.

HCLTech said the combination of the AI data centre and Global Technology Centre will create an ecosystem that supports AI development, deployment and delivery.

The partnership with Sarvam also highlights the growing focus on sovereign AI capabilities, where organisations are looking for greater control over data, infrastructure and AI workloads.

HCLTech CEO and managing director C Vijayakumar said the initiative will help the company serve the growing demand for sovereign AI solutions through investments and partnerships across the AI value chain.

For technology partners, system integrators and service providers, the development reflects the expanding opportunity around AI infrastructure, application development and managed services as enterprises begin scaling AI adoption.

The initiatives also place Odisha as an emerging technology hub, combining AI compute infrastructure, enterprise delivery capabilities and talent development to support the next phase of AI adoption in India.