Generative AI for Demand Response and Decentralized Energy Systems
Ezhilvendan Selvam
ACL Digital
September 16, 2025
5 Minutes read
Global Capability Centers (GCCs) are the Next AI-Driven Engines of Digital Transformation
Today, most enterprises are turning towards Global Capability Centers (GCCs) to remain competitive, stay agile, drive innovation, and access the best talent across the globe. In India, we are at a defining moment in their transition. What began as a cost-optimization initiative has now completely evolved into a robust global growth engine for high-value unicorns, Fortune 500, and private equity-backed businesses.
It’s been just over two years, and already cities like Bengaluru, Hyderabad, and Pune have seen the creation and growth of more than 300 new Global Capability Centers, forcing India’s total count past 1,800 centers and creating career opportunities for more than 2 million skilled professionals.
These GCCs are not just back offices anymore, but more of a strategic innovation hubs that drive advancements in artificial intelligence (AI), data security, cloud transformation, life sciences, digital-first solutions, and fintech innovation. An example of this is Eli Lilly’s Hyderabad-based GCC, which has ambitious plans to expand its workforce from 120 employees today to over 1,500 by 2027, showcasing the scale and impact of this transformation.
Nevertheless, with this swift expansion comes a fresh new set of hurdles. Enterprises entering the GCC ecosystem must navigate tough competition, rising operational costs, scaling complexities, increasing sustainability expectations, and the demand for top talent. The leaders who succeed in this ecosystem will be those who can successfully balance innovation with speed, a modern skillset that many now label as innovating effectively at scale. Also, according to some recent industry research, enterprises across the globe will have over $500 billion in digital transformation efforts by 2025 and beyond. In this context, GCCs are exceptionally placed to serve as ideal launchpads for automation, AI, and analytics-driven value creation.
Meanwhile, GCC-as-as-Service (GCCaaS) is one among the favorite and flexible, outcome-based models among enterprises that couples captive centers and strategy with the agility of managed services. This time-tested methodology enables business to use innovation on demand, reduce fixed overhead, and fast-track time-to-market, all while controlling alignment and governance with core business goals.
Global Capability Centers as Strategic Transformation Hubs
More multinational enterprises, spanning sectors such as banking, pharmaceuticals, technology, retail, and others, now rely on GCCs for much more than low-cost delivery. They have become ground zero for advanced analytics, product development, innovation, AI/ML engineering, and customer experience or intelligence.
Also, GCCs are staffed with data scientists, agile product managers, R&D engineers, domain experts, and AI strategists who co-develop global customer-facing products, smart automation tools, insights-driven strategies, and digital platforms. This shift moves GCCs from cost-takers to value-creators at the heart of enterprise digital transformation.
Digital Transformation Acceleration – The Game Changer
Digital transformation is no longer optional, but it is the real game-changer. A recent study by McKinsey & Company shows that 50% of business enterprises have integrated at least one AI capability center into their core workflows, and 30% have pilot programs. GCCs are at the core of these digital transformations, acting as execution centers for total large-scale rollouts, analytics platforms, pilots, and automated process orchestration. Additionally, GCCs provide an integrated ecosystem for cross-functional collaboration – where data analytics, AI, automation, engineering, and business leadership converge, creating a partnership that conventional siloed models struggle to replicate.
GCC-as-a-Service: A Modern, Outcome-Driven Model
GCC-as-a-Service combines the control of GCCs with the agility and scalability of managed service methods. In this setup, companies collaborate with strategic partners, usually outsourcing specialists or tech firms that build and manage GCC operations on their behalf. Even though operational responsibilities are handed over, the enterprises retain governance, strategic oversight, and accountability for results.
The hybrid model is developed around results-driven SLAs, plug-and-play talent pools, and shared infrastructure. GCC-as-a-Service is particularly appealing for enterprises seeking to test GCC-led transformations without serious upfront investment or permanent infrastructure build-outs.
Business Benefits
- Scalable Innovation – Tap smart AI and advanced analytics knowledge on demand to fast-track innovation cycles.
- Cost Efficiency – Activate undervalue-based pricing and minimize fixed resource investments.
- Rapid Time to Value – Common platforms and talent pools considerably lower ramp-up times.
- Governance & Control – Maintain strategic oversight while outsourcing operational load.
- Agile Commercial Model – Support costs with results, augmenting flexibility and accountability.
How GCCs Are Driving Enterprise Value
This section illustrates how GCCs are catalyzing transformation through concrete initiatives and measurable outcomes.
- AI-Enhanced Customer Experience
- A world-famous global retail bank tapped its India GCC to roll out AI-powered chatbots and NLP-driven virtual assistants.
- These bots now handle 80% of routine queries, cutting call volumes by 60%.
- First Contact Resolution (FCR) improved by 35%, driving faster and smoother service.
- The GCC also built AI-based sentiment analysis tools to track customer emotions across multiple touchpoints.
- Proactive insights helped design retention strategies, resulting in a 20% reduction.
Result: A data-driven, AI-first customer experience model that blends efficiency with personalization.
- Advanced Analytics for Operational Excellence
- A retail-focused GCC developed a real-time analytics engine connecting POS, e-commerce, supply chain, and social channels.
- Leveraging AI-driven demand forecasting, the team reduced stock-outs by 25%.
- Inventory optimization improved margins by 5% while minimizing waste.
- Store staff received task-based AI recommendations, enabling personalized customer interactions.
- The integrated platform enabled end-to-end visibility, ensuring smarter decisions across sales and supply.
Result: A single source of truth for business intelligence, delivering operational excellence at scale.
- Intelligent Process Automation
- An FMCG giant’s GCC launched intelligent document processing using RPA, OCR, and machine learning.
- Invoice and claims processing cycle times dropped by 75%.
- Human error reduced by 95%, boosting compliance and accuracy.
- Freed-up employees shifted to value-added roles like analytics validation and exception handling.
- The initiative delivered ROI in just nine months, showcasing the speed of automation-led transformation.
Result: A future-ready digital workforce driving cost savings and productivity.
- AI-Informed Product Innovation
- A software company’s GCC mined millions of usage logs to map feature adoption trends.
- Using clustering algorithms and predictive models, the team identified high-value product enhancements.
- Roadmaps accelerated with a 30% faster release cycle.
- Personalized feature bundles increased user adoption by 15%.
- The GCC also ran A/B testing infrastructure, enabling quick validation of product ideas.
Result: AI-powered innovation cycles that translate directly into higher user engagement and business growth.
Conclusion
Global Capability Centers have outgrown their conventional roles and are now the global innovation epicenters, mastering enterprise value creation and AI-led digital transformation. Whether through a flexible GCC-as-a-Service (GCCaaS) model or through internal GCCs, business enterprises can unlock strategic alignment, speed, and scalability.
Below are the steps you need to consider if you are an enterprise transformation partner or a GCC leader:
- Adopt lean methodology and agile delivery
- Define your priority business outcomes
- Pilot AI-led use cases within your GCC using an MVP-driven approach
- Invest in the right talent
Talk to the experts at ACL Digital and explore GCC-as-a-Service partnerships if you seek shared infrastructure, flexibility, and risk-aligned operations without having on-the-face high upfront costs. The future belongs to enterprises that can scale intelligently. GCCs that are amplified by AI and guided by outcomes will be the powerhouse of innovation your organization needs today.
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