Telangana targeting 100 GCCs a year, says Sridhar Babu
IT Minister flags AI skills as key to future growth
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Hyderabad: Telangana IT & Electronics Minister D Sridhar Babu inaugurated the new AI Innovation Centre of Covasant on Monday, highlighting the city’s growing status as a global technology powerhouse. The event was attended by Covasant CMD CV Subramanyam, UK Deputy High Commissioner Gareth Wynn Owen, industry representatives, and employees from India and the US.
He highlighted the rapid rise of Global Capability Centres (GCCs) in the state, noting that Telangana attracted 70 GCCs last year and has already surpassed 75 this year.
The government is targeting 100 GCCs in a single year, with a strong focus on generating employment and attracting investments.
The Minister praised Covasant Chairman CV Subramanyam as a ‘successful serial entrepreneur’ with deep expertise in technology and global operations. He recalled the growth of Subramanian’s earlier venture, which expanded from 18 employees to a $250-million company, and noted the long-standing association between their families.
The Minister said the launch of the new centre reflects Hyderabad’s strong innovation ecosystem. “Whenever a global capability centre or a product company expands here, it is not just a new opening—it is Hyderabad taking another step forward in innovation,” he said.
Sridhar Babu emphasised that Hyderabad is positioning itself as a unique global innovation hub that blends strengths seen in Silicon Valley, Shenzhen and Singapore. “This is a city where innovation, engineering depth, industry execution and trust converge,” he said, adding that this environment encourages global companies to choose Hyderabad as their preferred base.
A significant portion of the Minister’s address focused on the importance of upskilling the workforce in emerging technologies, especially AI. “With AI, low-code and no-code systems are transforming the industry. Those who do not reskill risk becoming obsolete,” he cautioned.
He announced that the government is setting up a dedicated AI Hub along with an AI University to help professionals update their skills. The hub will offer online global-standard skilling programmes, with collaborations being explored with institutions such as Stanford, Harvard, Yale and leading UK universities.
Referring to Covasant’s work on agentic AI, the Minister said such technologies will redefine roles and workflows across industries. He noted that every major sector—life sciences, pharmaceuticals, financial services, hospitality and healthcare—is integrating AI to enhance productivity and innovation.
