Bengaluru’s AI workforce rivals San Francisco, New York in scale

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India's IT capital, Bengaluru, has emerged as the country's leading hub for artificial intelligence (AI) talent, with the highest number of AI-related professionals in the country, according to CBRE’s latest Global Tech Talent Guidebook 2025.

The city’s talent scale now matches that of global tech clusters like San Francisco and New York in the US, said the report, placing Bengaluru among the top 12 global tech powerhouse markets alongside cities such as London, Tokyo, Shanghai, and Toronto. Bengaluru is also the largest tech talent market in the Asia-Pacific region with over one million tech workers.

"Bengaluru’s emergence as a global tech powerhouse reflects India’s strategic depth in digital innovation, AI, and talent readiness. This signals a maturing market that is not only creating value in established hubs but also unlocking potential across emerging corridors," Anshuman Magazine, Chairman & CEO - India, South-East Asia, Middle East & Africa, CBRE, was quoted in the release.

Bengaluru’s AI ecosystem is supported by a strong base of Global Capability Centres (GCCs), top engineering institutions, and 28 unicorns. Between 2018 and 2023, tech employment in the city grew by 12 percent, in line with global trends. In 2024, it attracted 140 VC deals worth $3.3 billion, including 34 deals in AI.

The city ranks fourth among the 12 tech hubs in terms of working-age population, with 75.5 percent of its population in the workforce. Its working-age population grew by 2.4 percent between 2019 and 2024, among the fastest globally.

The commercial real estate services and investment firm said that the availability, quality, and cost of tech talent continue to drive investor interest in Bengaluru.

AI, in particular, has become a key area of investment, with global companies looking to expand engineering and product development teams in India.

Other Indian cities such as Delhi-NCR, Mumbai, Ahmedabad, and Jaipur also saw strong activity.

The Delhi-NCR region closed 183 VC deals worth $1.9 billion in 2024, including 42 in AI, while Mumbai recorded 167 deals worth $4.9 billion, with 26 in AI. Ahmedabad and Jaipur are emerging as cost-effective alternatives with improving infrastructure and talent pipelines.

CBRE said the expansion of tech talent beyond traditional hubs is being driven by factors including better quality of life, improved education systems, and lower operating costs. AI funding globally hit $129 billion in 2024, reinforcing its role as a key driver of tech employment growth.