US coffee chain Starbucks plans global tech centre in India

CHENNAI: US coffee chain Starbucks has signed a pact to set up a global capability centre (GCC) in the southern Indian city of Chennai and hire roughly 800 technology professionals, the Tamil Nadu state government said on Monday (Sep 21).

The government did not disclose the investment figure.

Starbucks, which has roughly 500 cafes in India through its joint venture with Tata Consumer Products, did not respond to a request for comment outside office hours.

The move comes days after US pharmacy chain Walgreens signed a pact with Tamil Nadu to establish a GCC in the state's capital, already home to tech centres of global business groups including Citi, Barclays and American Express.

Chennai accounts for roughly a tenth of the GCC base in India, according to the state government.

The availability of a skilled workforce, lower attrition and good infrastructure would help the coffee chain, Starbucks technology chief Anand Varadarajan said, according to a state government press release.

India has emerged as the world's largest GCC hub, with more than 2,100 centres employing ⁠about 2.36 million people and generating nearly US$100 billion in revenue, according to a 2026 report by Nasscom-Zinnov.

GCCs have moved beyond low-cost back-office support, with corporates using these centres to support headquarters through higher-value functions such as ⁠finance and software development, as well as research and development.