Kerala IT expansion: ₹600 crore Kozhikode tower, 2 lakh jobs by 2030
Synopsis
Key Takeaways
Kerala's IT sector is on the cusp of a significant geographic and economic expansion, with major investments being anchored simultaneously in Kozhikode in the north and Thiruvananthapuram in the south, signalling a deliberate state-level push to build multiple technology hubs rather than depend on a handful of established centres.
The Kozhikode Cyberpark Tower
The most prominent catalyst in this expansion is a ₹600 crore commercial tower being developed at Cyberpark, Kozhikode. Spread across 2.5 acres with nine lakh sq ft of built-up area, the Grade-A facility is designed to host multinational corporations, high-growth start-ups, and research and development centres. The project is expected to generate more than 10,000 direct IT jobs and is targeted for completion within two years. It forms part of a private group's wider plan to develop 12 million sq ft of office space across Kerala over the coming years.
What the Government Said
Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan, who performed the groundbreaking ceremony, said the government's goal was for Kozhikode to emerge as a major IT destination alongside Thiruvananthapuram and Kochi. He added that projects covering around 50 million sq ft were expected to be completed by 2030, potentially generating approximately two lakh jobs statewide. Industries, IT and AI Minister P.K. Kunhalikutty said Kozhikode was poised to follow the path of Technopark and Infopark and establish itself as a major technology hub for the Malabar region.
Technopark's Phase III Expansion in Thiruvananthapuram
At the southern end of the state, Technopark is preparing to add a further two lakh sq ft of IT office space at its Phase III campus. The campus authority has floated e-tenders for the design and construction of a prefabricated IT office building on a design-and-build basis, with a completion period of 15 months. Technopark Phase III currently spans 90.02 acres, houses 540 companies, employs approximately 84,000 professionals, and already carries 13.147 million sq ft of IT built-up space — making the additional capacity an incremental but meaningful step.
A Broader Shift in Kerala's IT Geography
The twin expansions point to a structural change in how Kerala is approaching technology-led growth. For years, the state's IT economy was concentrated around Thiruvananthapuram's Technopark and Kochi's Infopark. The emergence of Kozhikode as a third anchor could give the Malabar region — historically less integrated into the state's technology economy — a new economic engine. Notably, the push combines Grade-A private infrastructure with state facilitation, a model that has driven IT cluster growth in Hyderabad and Bengaluru. Whether Kerala can replicate that scale will depend on talent pipelines, connectivity, and the sustained flow of MNC interest into a market still proving itself on the national IT map.
What Comes Next
With the Cyberpark tower on a two-year completion timeline and Technopark's prefabricated block due in 15 months, tangible capacity additions are expected well before the 2030 target horizon. Industry observers will watch whether the anchor private investment in Kozhikode attracts secondary tenants and whether the state can deliver the infrastructure — road, metro, and digital — required to make the hub competitive for global technology firms.