Regional Spotlight: Accelerating Digital Business Transformation in India’s Global Capability Centers (GCCs) with AI and Cloud

India’s GCC Revolution: The Next Frontier for Innovation

India has rapidly emerged as the global capital for Global Capability Centers (GCCs), with over 1,700 centers contributing more than 1% of the country’s GDP. As projections estimate the number of Indian GCCs to double by 2030, the role of these centers is evolving from operational support hubs to strategic engines of innovation and value creation. This transformation is powered by India’s unparalleled talent pool, robust digital infrastructure, and a growing appetite for technology-driven business reinvention.

Recognizing this pivotal shift, Publicis Sapient has launched a dedicated focus area in India to help enterprises worldwide establish, scale, and transform their GCCs into future-ready, innovation-driven organizations. By harnessing advanced AI and cloud capabilities, Publicis Sapient is enabling GCCs to accelerate digital business transformation, enhance agility, and deliver measurable business impact.

The Publicis Sapient Approach: Establish, Scale, Acquire

Publicis Sapient’s GCC transformation model is built around three core pillars:

Establish: Guiding organizations to set up AI-first, culturally aligned GCCs that operate as seamless extensions of their core business, ensuring strategic alignment and rapid value realization.
Scale: Empowering existing GCCs to evolve into innovation hubs through capability building, performance management, and continuous improvement, leveraging the latest in AI and cloud technologies.
Acquire: Transforming under-leveraged GCCs into strategic value centers through targeted acquisition and reinvention, unlocking new streams of business value.

This end-to-end approach is underpinned by Publicis Sapient’s SPEED framework—Strategy, Product, Experience, Engineering, and Data & AI—ensuring that every stage of the GCC lifecycle is supported by deep digital expertise and a transformative mindset.

AI and Cloud: The Twin Engines of GCC Transformation

The integration of AI and cloud is at the heart of the GCC evolution. Publicis Sapient’s recent investments and partnerships have significantly expanded its capabilities in these domains:

PS Hummingbird: A joint venture with Tquila, PS Hummingbird delivers end-to-end generative AI and cloud solutions powered by Microsoft Azure, Dynamics 365, Power Platform, and Microsoft Copilots. This enables GCCs to modernize business operations, accelerate innovation, and unlock tailored AI-powered solutions across sales, service, marketing, supply chain, and finance.
AI Labs and Advanced Analytics: With the acquisition of Publicis Sapient AI Labs, the company has deepened its bench of data science and AI talent, offering services from fusion workshops and rapid prototyping to large language model (LLM) development and training. These capabilities empower GCCs to harness advanced analytics, natural language processing, and autonomous systems for smarter decision-making and operational efficiency.
Cloud Partnerships: Publicis Sapient’s strategic alliances with Microsoft, AWS, and Google Cloud provide GCCs with access to industry-leading cloud infrastructure, generative AI tools, and scalable platforms. Whether migrating legacy workloads, modernizing applications, or deploying AI-driven solutions, GCCs benefit from robust, secure, and future-proof technology foundations.

Realizing Value: From Cost Centers to Innovation Engines

Today’s global enterprises increasingly view their GCCs not just as cost centers, but as engines of transformation and growth. Publicis Sapient’s approach helps organizations tap into India’s deep talent pool and innovation ecosystem in a scalable, compliant, and future-focused way. By embedding AI and cloud at the core, GCCs can:

Accelerate innovation and revenue growth through rapid prototyping, agile delivery, and continuous improvement.
Modernize customer and employee experiences with AI-powered personalization, automation, and data-driven insights.
Optimize business operations by automating workflows, enhancing decision-making, and driving operational efficiencies at scale.
Enable global expansion and resilience by building future-ready, adaptable, and secure digital platforms.

Recognized Leadership and Proven Impact

Publicis Sapient’s leadership in digital business transformation is recognized by leading industry analysts. The company has been named a Market Leader in Generative Enterprise Services and Industry Cloud Services by HFS Research, underscoring its ability to deliver enterprise-scale AI and cloud solutions that drive measurable outcomes. Client success stories span industries—from optimizing operations for multinational banks with Microsoft Copilot to deploying scalable generative AI solutions for global pharmaceutical leaders, resulting in significant cost savings and accelerated time to market.

The Future of GCCs: Powered by Publicis Sapient

As India’s GCC ecosystem enters its next phase of growth, Publicis Sapient stands as a strategic partner for enterprises seeking to unlock the full potential of their centers. With a unique blend of global expertise, local insight, and cutting-edge technology, Publicis Sapient is helping organizations reimagine their GCCs as true engines of innovation, agility, and business value.

Ready to transform your GCC into a catalyst for digital business transformation? Connect with Publicis Sapient to explore how AI and cloud can accelerate your journey.

Publicis Sapient is a digital business transformation company, partnering with global organizations to create and sustain competitive advantage in a world that is increasingly digital. With 20,000 people across 72 offices worldwide, Publicis Sapient is the digital business transformation hub of Publicis Groupe.

For more information, visit publicissapient.com.