Cognizant grows its business in India to access a talent pool

Cognizant Expands India Footprint, Bets on Tier-2 Cities for Talent and AI Growth

Global technology services major Cognizant is expanding its operations across India, including deeper forays into tier-2 cities, to tap into the country’s growing talent pool, according to Surya Gummadi, President – Americas, Cognizant.

Speaking to PTI on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting, Gummadi said India has long been central to Cognizant’s global strategy and has now become a critical pillar of its artificial intelligence (AI) roadmap as well.

Cognizant has recently expanded operations in tier-2 locations such as Visakhapatnam, Indore and Gujarat’s GIFT City, while simultaneously scaling up presence in major IT hubs including Chennai, Hyderabad, Bengaluru and Pune. The pace and location of expansion, he said, are driven by evolving client needs.

“The tier-two expansion is a key element of the strategy. Along with that, we are also expanding into major cities. Expanding in large metros and doubling down on tier-two cities to tap talent there is something we continue to do,” Gummadi said.

He added that India hosts the bulk of Cognizant’s associates supporting AI-led client solutions, alongside teams in the US and client geographies. The company’s production centres are also largely based in India.

On India’s AI readiness, Gummadi said the country has consistently adapted to major technology shifts, with its education system increasingly aligned to the AI era. Cognizant continues to hire fresh graduates from Indian institutions, in addition to recruiting talent in the US, and is seeing a steady supply of partially AI-ready talent entering the workforce.

Commenting on Cognizant’s Global Capability Centre (GCC) business, which he oversees, Gummadi said GCCs form a key component of the company’s growth strategy. Cognizant itself originated as a GCC for Dun & Bradstreet Corporation and has since helped multiple clients establish and scale GCCs in India and other global locations.

The company’s GCC strategy, he said, is four-pronged—supporting clients in setting up greenfield GCCs, operating them jointly, building-operating-transferring centres, and expanding existing GCCs. Cognizant also offers modular services such as network infrastructure, real estate, talent acquisition, training and recruitment for clients that do not require full-scale GCC operations. In addition, it assists companies looking to restructure or carve out their GCC models.