Fri, 24 Jul 2026
11:33:00 am
Rudransh Sangwan
Published at: July 24, 2026, 8:24 AM
Synopsis
HCL Technologies has signed an MoU with Sarvam and the Odisha Government to establish a ₹14,257 crore AI data center in Bhubaneswar. Here's what the project means for HCLTech, India's AI ecosystem and investors.

HCL Technologies Ltd. has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Sarvam and the Government of Odisha to establish a ₹14,257 crore AI data center in Bhubaneswar, marking one of the company's biggest artificial intelligence infrastructure investments in India. The facility will be developed inside the upcoming Odisha Sovereign AI Park and is expected to strengthen India's sovereign AI capabilities by combining HCLTech's AI infrastructure with Sarvam's Indian foundation models.
The project aligns with the Government of India's Digital India and Atmanirbhar Bharat initiatives and is aimed at building AI infrastructure capable of serving both public and private sector organizations. The proposed data center will support AI training, inference workloads and multilingual AI applications designed for enterprises, government departments and citizen-centric services.
The announcement also reflects HCLTech's increasing focus on AI-led infrastructure as enterprises worldwide continue to invest in generative AI, cloud computing and high-performance computing platforms.
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| Particulars | Details |
|---|---|
| Project | AI Data Center |
| Location | Bhubaneswar, Odisha |
| Project Site | Odisha Sovereign AI Park |
| Investment | ₹14,257 crore |
| Partners | HCL Technologies, Sarvam, Government of Odisha |
| Purpose | Sovereign AI infrastructure and multilingual AI services |
The AI data center will combine HCLTech's full-stack AI capabilities with Sarvam's Indian language foundation models to build sector-specific AI solutions for enterprises, government agencies and public services. The facility is expected to provide high-performance computing infrastructure required for AI model training and deployment while supporting India's growing demand for localized AI applications.
The project also addresses rising demand for domestic AI infrastructure as organizations increasingly focus on data localization, AI governance and secure computing environments. Odisha has been positioning itself as a technology investment destination through policy support and digital infrastructure, making it a strategic location for the proposed AI park.
The MoU was signed in the presence of Roshni Nadar Malhotra, Chairperson of HCLTech; C Vijayakumar, CEO and Managing Director of HCLTech; Pratyush Kumar, Co-Founder of Sarvam; Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi; and Dr. Mukesh Mahaling, Minister of Electronics and IT.
Roshni Nadar Malhotra said HCLTech aims to support India's sovereign AI ambitions through strategic investments and partnerships. C Vijayakumar described the project as an important step in the company's full-stack AI strategy, adding that Odisha's policy environment and infrastructure provide a strong foundation for large-scale AI investments.
Sarvam Co-Founder Pratyush Kumar said the collaboration will integrate high-performance computing with Indian AI models to develop enterprise and public-sector AI solutions at scale.
India's AI infrastructure market is expanding rapidly as enterprises, governments and research organizations invest in generative AI and GPU-based computing. Data localization requirements, increasing cloud adoption and the need for domestic AI infrastructure are creating significant demand for large AI data centers.
For HCLTech, the project strengthens its presence beyond traditional IT services by expanding into AI infrastructure, cloud platforms and enterprise AI solutions. It also complements the company's broader AI strategy as customers accelerate investments in automation and AI-powered digital transformation.
HCLTech reported consolidated revenue of approximately $14.8 billion for the twelve months ended June 2026, highlighting its global scale as it expands investments in AI infrastructure.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Market Capitalisation | ₹3.39 lakh crore |
| Industry | Information Technology |
| Sector | Computer Software & Consulting |
| P/E Ratio | 19.38 |
| Return on Equity (ROE) | 22.14% |
| Debt-to-Equity | 0.09 |
| Dividend Yield | 4.34% |
The company's low debt levels and healthy return on equity provide financial flexibility to pursue long-term technology investments while maintaining shareholder returns.
HCL Technologies shares have shown mixed performance across different time periods as investors continue evaluating global IT spending and AI-led growth opportunities.
| Period | Return |
|---|---|
| 1 Day | +0.43% |
| 5 Days | +5.31% |
| 1 Month | +12.71% |
| 6 Months | -26.74% |
| 1 Year | -18.26% |
| 5 Years | +25.80% |
Among India's leading IT companies, HCLTech continues to compete with TCS, Infosys, Wipro, Tech Mahindra, LTIMindtree, Persistent Systems, Coforge and Mphasis. While global IT companies are investing heavily in AI platforms, HCLTech's proposed Odisha AI data center could strengthen its position in sovereign AI infrastructure and enterprise AI services within India.
| Company | Market Cap (₹ Cr.) | P/E | Revenue (₹ Cr.) | YoY Revenue Growth | Net Profit (₹ Cr.) | YoY Profit Growth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TCS | 18,09,981.25 | 16.21 | 12,71,423.00 | 4.68% | 1,49,454 | 4.69% |
| Infosys | 4,14,448.69 | 14.07 | 1,82,972.00 | 9.83% | 29,474 | 12.29% |
| HCL Technologies | 3,39,072.45 | 19.38 | 3,31,674.00 | 10.15% | 16,652 | 20.34% |
| Wipro | 1,83,749.10 | 13.04 | 96,497.70 | 3.79% | 13,266 | 0.59% |
| Tech Mahindra | 1,51,056.33 | 29.50 | 56,847.30 | 5.58% | 4,806 | 31.67% |
| LTIMindtree | 1,18,070.12 | 22.63 | 43,402.00 | 11.29% | 4,983 | 17.06% |
| Persistent Systems | 80,402.02 | 42.31 | 14,928.90 | 23.62% | 1,865 | 33.73% |
| Coforge | 50,574.06 | 36.54 | 16,402.70 | 34.28% | 1,501 | 116.79% |
| Mphasis | 42,541.80 | 22.87 | 16,205.50 | 11.88% | 1,863 | 14.13% |
The ₹14,257 crore Odisha AI data center represents one of HCLTech's largest AI infrastructure initiatives in India and signals the company's growing focus on sovereign AI, cloud computing and enterprise AI solutions. The partnership with Sarvam and the Government of Odisha aligns with India's push toward localized AI infrastructure and digital sovereignty.
Although the project is expected to strengthen HCLTech's long-term AI strategy, investors will monitor execution timelines, capital allocation, customer adoption and the commercial contribution of AI infrastructure to future revenue growth.
The facility will support India's sovereign AI ecosystem by providing high-performance computing infrastructure, AI model deployment and multilingual AI solutions for government and enterprise customers.
The project has a planned capital outlay of ₹14,257 crore, including financial assistance from the Odisha Government.
The project is being developed jointly by HCL Technologies, Sarvam and the Government of Odisha.
The facility will be established in Bhubaneswar within the upcoming Odisha Sovereign AI Park.
The project expands HCLTech's AI infrastructure portfolio, strengthens its sovereign AI capabilities and positions the company to benefit from growing enterprise demand for AI computing infrastructure and localized AI services.

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