Lucknow: Uttar Pradesh is strengthening its position as a destination for Global Capability Centres (GCCs), with leading companies announcing investments, technology initiatives and skill-development partnerships at the UP GCC Innovation Summit 2026 in Lucknow.
In the presence of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, representatives of LG Electronics, Smartworks, Microsoft and HCL Technologies highlighted the state’s infrastructure, talent pool, investment policies and administrative support as factors attracting global businesses.
LG Electronics is investing ₹634 crore in its Eco Solutions GCC, with operations targeted to begin by the end of 2026. The centre will focus on heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC), heat pump technologies and advanced product development. The company aims to create more than 500 high-value jobs through talent development and training, with plans to expand research into AI-based data centre cooling technologies.
Microsoft highlighted its expanding presence in Noida, where a campus being developed with an investment of approximately ₹2,500 crore is expected to strengthen its technology operations. Company representative Rajiv Kumar said Microsoft’s Noida centre grew from around 600 employees in its first year to approximately 3,000 within three years. The centre contributes to the development of products and technologies including Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Copilot.
HCL Technologies announced an AI-powered GCC Centre of Excellence at its Lucknow campus in collaboration with Amazon Web Services (AWS). The initiative aims to accelerate GCC development through advanced cloud and computing capabilities. The campus, established around a decade ago, currently employs approximately 1,500 people, according to company representative Kiran Cherukuri.
Smartworks is also expanding in Lucknow, where it has developed a two-lakh-square-foot GCC hub at BBD Times Square. The company already manages more than two million square feet of office space in Noida, accommodating over 110 companies. Its expansion is expected to create additional opportunities for professionals in Lucknow and other Uttar Pradesh cities.
The summit also recorded 15 memorandums of understanding (MoUs), issued letters of intent to five investors and exchanged MoUs with 13 educational institutions. The investor list included Havells India, Emeriprise India, MetLife Global Operations Support Center, LG Soft India and WSP Consultants India.
Industry partnerships involving companies such as EY GDS, AML RightSource, Computacenter, DSV, DAMAC, Altruist and Smartworks are aimed at establishing new GCCs and expanding existing operations. Separate collaborations with Paytm, AWS, Barclays, IBM and Naukri will support training and workforce development.
The educational partnerships include IIT Kanpur, IIT Roorkee, IIM Lucknow, IIT (BHU) Varanasi, Aligarh Muslim University, Shiv Nadar University, Lucknow University, AKTU and other institutions. The collaborations seek to align academic training with industry requirements while encouraging research and innovation.
Organised by the IIT Kanpur Alumni Association in collaboration with Invest UP and HCLTech, the summit featured seven thematic sessions on AI-led operations, product innovation, investment locations, startup partnerships and future skills.
Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath also released a white paper titled The True Economics of AI Adoption in GCCs, prepared through a deep-tech innovation collaboration between HCLTech and IIT Kanpur.
With fresh investment commitments, industry-academia partnerships and an increasing focus on artificial intelligence, Uttar Pradesh is seeking to attract more global business operations while creating high-value employment opportunities for its young workforce.
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