HCLTech shares closed 2.11% higher at Rs 1,271 on Friday, after it signed pacts with Odisha to build an AI data centre worth Rs 14,257 crore.

The company signed two separate agreements with the state on the same day. One sets up a Global Technology Center in Bhubaneswar.

The other lays the groundwork for HCLTech’s first AI data centre, to come up at the upcoming Odisha Sovereign AI Park.

The AI data centre is the bigger ticket item here, with a planned outlay of Rs 14,257 crore, part of which includes financial support from the Odisha government.

HCLTech is building it alongside Sarvam, an Indian AI startup, blending HCLTech’s AI infrastructure with Sarvam’s language models to build tools for both government bodies and private companies.

The plan also includes multilingual AI services, aimed at supporting projects under the government’s Digital India push.

The technology centre side of the deal is smaller in scale but still significant for jobs.

It is expected to go live by 2028 and employ 5,000 people working on AI based digital solutions for global clients.

HCLTech also said it plans to work with local colleges and universities to help build up the region’s tech talent pool.

This is part of a broader push under the company’s New Vistas programme, which aims to open up technology jobs in cities beyond the usual hubs.

HCLTech Chairperson Roshni Nadar Malhotra said the Odisha investment supports the country’s sovereign AI ecosystem.

The move builds on an announcement HCLTech made on 13 July, when it first said it planned to enter the full-stack AI infrastructure business.

The company currently employs more than 170,000 people across its centres in India, spanning cities such as Noida, Bengaluru, Chennai, Hyderabad and Pune.

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