Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi announced on Friday, 25 July 2026 that the state has signed two landmark Memoranda of Understanding with HCLTech and Sarvam AI, envisaging combined investments of over ₹15,000 crore over the next five years to establish advanced AI and digital infrastructure in the state.

Context

The MoUs mark what CM Majhi described as 'a defining moment in Odisha's technology transformation.' Under the agreements, HCLTech will set up its first-ever AI Data Centre in India within Odisha's Sovereign AI Park, while Sarvam AI will establish an AI and Digital Engineering Global Delivery Centre in Bhubaneswar, the state capital. Together, the projects are projected to create over 5,000 highly skilled direct jobs and thousands of additional indirect employment opportunities.

Posting on X, CM Majhi stated that 'progressive policies, ease of doing business, robust infrastructure and speed of execution are building a globally competitive investment ecosystem' in the state, positioning Odisha as 'India's leading sovereign AI hub.'

Policy Backdrop

The announcements are framed explicitly within Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Purvodaya vision, articulated in 2024, which aims to accelerate development across eastern Indian states — including Odisha, Jharkhand, Bihar, and West Bengal — by boosting infrastructure, industry, and institutional capacity. CM Majhi invoked the vision directly, stating the government is 'advancing Purvodaya and building an innovation-led, future-ready Samruddha Odisha [Prosperous Odisha] by 2036.'

India has pursued sovereign AI capabilities through national-level missions aimed at building domestic data infrastructure and reducing dependence on foreign platforms. Odisha's Sovereign AI Park fits into this broader national architecture, with the state seeking to anchor critical AI compute capacity within its borders.

Stakeholders and Impact

HCLTech, one of India's largest IT services companies, has been expanding aggressively into AI infrastructure. The choice of Odisha for its first domestic AI Data Centre signals confidence in the state's connectivity, land availability, and policy stability. Sarvam AI, an Indian firm focused on foundational AI models and sovereign AI solutions, brings a complementary capability in indigenous model development.

For Bhubaneswar, which has been designated as a technology hub under successive state administrations, the Global Delivery Centre represents a significant upgrade in the city's position within India's IT geography — historically dominated by southern cities such as Bengaluru, Hyderabad, and Chennai. Skilled IT professionals and AI researchers in eastern India stand to benefit directly from the employment pipeline these projects are expected to generate.

What's Next

Attention will now turn to the timelines for ground-breaking and operationalisation of the HCLTech AI Data Centre inside the Sovereign AI Park. The scale of the announced investment — ₹15,000 crore over five years — and the high-profile nature of the partners could catalyse follow-on announcements from other domestic and global technology firms evaluating eastern India as an investment destination.

If execution matches the ambition outlined in these MoUs, Odisha could emerge as a credible counterweight to established southern technology corridors, reshaping India's AI and data-centre map in the years leading to 2036.