IBM India is strengthening its presence beyond major metros, viewing tier-2 cities as important centres for technology innovation, talent development and sustainable growth, according to Sandip Patel, Managing Director, IBM India & South Asia.
The strategy comes as AI transforms the technology industry and some companies reconsider the economics of maintaining offices across multiple Indian locations.
IBM is taking a different approach, seeing regional expansion as an opportunity to access high-quality local talent while bringing technology careers closer to where employees live.
Tier-2 locations can also provide employees with improved work-life balance while helping companies build more geographically distributed technology and development capabilities.
The expansion could strengthen regional innovation ecosystems by creating opportunities for engineers and technology professionals outside India's traditional IT hubs.
For IBM, a wider talent footprint can support its growing focus on AI, hybrid cloud, automation and enterprise transformation, while developing skills closer to customers and regional markets.
The broader message is significant: India's next technology growth phase may increasingly extend beyond Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Mumbai, making tier-2 cities important contributors to the country's innovation economy
