Starbucks to Establish Global Technology Centre in Chennai, Plans to Hire 800 Professionals

Starbucks has signed an agreement with the Tamil Nadu government to establish a global capability centre (GCC) in Chennai, with plans to hire around 800 technology professionals.

The investment amount for the new centre has not been disclosed. Starbucks operates around 500 cafes in India through its joint venture with Tata Consumer Products. The company did not respond to a request for comment outside office hours.

The planned centre comes shortly after Walgreens announced an agreement with Tamil Nadu to establish its own GCC in Chennai. The city already hosts technology centres for several global companies, including Citi, Barclays and American Express.

According to the Tamil Nadu government, Chennai represents around one-tenth of India's GCC base. Starbucks technology chief Anand Varadarajan said the availability of skilled talent, lower employee attrition and strong infrastructure were among the factors supporting the company's decision.

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

GCCs are increasingly handling higher-value activities beyond traditional back-office functions, including finance, software development and research and development.