Industry Odisha Bureau, Jul 24: The Odisha Government on Friday signed two memoranda of understanding to establish an AI Data Centre and a Global Delivery Centre in the state with a total investment over Rs 15,000 crore.
The state Electronic and IT Department signed the two MoUs (one with HCL and another with HCL & Sarvam AI) here in presence of Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi and IT Minister Mukesh Mahaling.
HCL with support from Sarvam AI will set up its first AI Data Centre in Odisha, while HCL alone will establish the Global Delivery Centre also called the Global Technology Centre. The total investment for the two projects would be over Rs 15,000 crore over the next five years, officials said.
With a proposed investment of over Rs 15,000 crore and the potential to generate more than 5,000 employment opportunities, these projects will strengthen the State’s digital ecosystem and accelerate technology-led industrial growth, they said.
The planned capital outlay for the AI Data Centre project will be Rs 14,257 crores, including financial assistance from the Government of Odisha, HCL said in a statement.
This investment will boost India’s sovereign AI play and local developer ecosystem by leveraging HCL Tech’s full-stack AI capabilities and Sarvam’s foundation models to offer sector-specific AI applications to private and public sector enterprises and address the government’s sovereignty needs. It will also contribute to the delivery of multi-lingual AI-based services to the last mile, in line with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s clarion call of AI for the benefit of everyone.
The data centre to be set-up in the upcoming Odisha Sovereign AI Park, it said
“Earlier we were completely dependent on foreign AI. But now, indigenous AI, made in India, is on par with any foreign technology. It is a matter of joy that today that Sarvam AI is going to establish a Sovereign AI Park in Odisha. For this, an AI-optimized data centre will be set up in collaboration with HCL and Sarvam,” Majhi said while briefing media persons after the event.
Besides, HCL Tech, a leading tech company, is going to set up a Global Delivery Centre in Odisha, he said.
HCL Tech’s footprint in Odisha will help in realizing the state’s technology-led growth vision. These two projects will provide attractive employment to thousands of highly educated and skilled youth of Odisha, he informed.
The partnership will strengthen the state’s capabilities in emerging technologies, accelerate the growth of the IT and ITeS sector and attract further high-value investments, the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) said in an X post.
HCL chairperson Roshni Nadar Malhotra said, “In line with the Digital India and Atmanirbhar Bharat vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, we strive to be an enabler of India’s sovereign AI ecosystem with differentiated offerings across the value chain through focused investments and partnerships. We are pleased to start this endeavor in partnership with the Odisha government and Sarvam.”
Pratyush Kumar,Co-Founder of Sarvam said, “The Odisha Sovereign AI Park will connect high-performance compute with Indian models and real-world applications. Together with HCL Tech, we are excited to bring Sarvam’s full-stack AI capabilities to enterprises and public systems at scale.”
The Technology Center will complement HCL Tech’s proposed AI Data Center in the upcoming Odisha Sovereign AI Park. The Technology Center will house 5,000 people and is expected to start operations by 2028.
HCL Tech’s investment will not only contribute to direct and indirect employment but also boost the local talent ecosystem with focus on next-generation skills.
Towards this, HCL Tech plans to engage deeply with local educational institutions and the government through structured interventions.
Rahul Singh, COO – Corporate Functions, HCL Tech said, “At HCL Tech, through our New Vistas initiative, we are focused on expanding our presence across India to bring opportunities closer to where the talent is. Odisha offers a great mix of quality infrastructure and a vibrant talent pool, and we look forward to developing Bhubaneswar as one of our key global innovation and delivery hubs.”
Vishal Kumar Dev, Additional Chief Secretary, IT Department, said, “We welcome HCL Tech’s decision to establish their footprint in Odisha. Their presence will further embellish Bhubaneswar’s status as one of India’s most promising technology hubs.”
