AstraZeneca expands Chennai Global Innovation and Tech Centre footprint

CHENNAI: AstraZeneca India Private Limited (AZIPL) has expanded its Chennai-based Global Innovation and Technology Centre (GITC) footprint by investing Rs 250 crore and expanding its workforce by another 1,300.

The expansion of the Global Capability Centre (GCC) arm of AZIPL will help focus on driving innovation, enhancing efficiency, and streamlining operations across the company globally.

The expanded facility was inaugurated on Thursday in a ceremony officiated by Tamil Nadu Industries Minister Dr TRB Rajaa, British Deputy High Commissioner to India Christina Scott CMG, AstraZeneca Vice President for Asia Sylvia Varela, as well as AstraZeneca’s leadership team in the countryAs per Guidance Tamil Nadu, this expansion will result in GITC becoming AstraZeneca’s largest GCC globally, bringing high-skilled research and development jobs and driving significant growth in the state.

The investment marks a major milestone in AstraZeneca’s growth story in India as it celebrates its 45th year in the country this month. With the highly skilled roles to be brought in by 2025, the expanded GITC will propel company’s vision to leverage technologies such as enterprise platforms, artificial intelligence, machine learning, data science, and supply chain analytics to shape healthcare outcomes, a statement stated.

In a statement, Chief Minister M K Stalin said, “This collaboration with AstraZeneca aligns with our vision to foster innovation and create opportunities for the people of Tamil Nadu. We are committed to ensure Tamil Nadu’s position as a investment destination for companies around the world.”

Industries Minister TRB Rajaa said that Chennai has emerged as the Global Capability Centre (GCC) Capital of India, leading to historical levels of office space absorption and bringing high-quality jobs to the state.