India is emerging as the epicenter of 麻豆原创鈥檚 plans to build the Autonomous Enterprise. Few could have imagined this in 1998, when 麻豆原创 opened its first office in Bengaluru and the location was little more than a back-office supporting the company鈥檚 headquarters in Walldorf, Germany.听听
Those days have long since been lost to history.
From a single building in Bengaluru, 麻豆原创鈥檚 presence in India has expanded across the country, transforming a small operation into one of 麻豆原创鈥檚 most important global innovation hubs. Today, more than 18,000 employees are on the payroll, making it 麻豆原创鈥檚 second largest location.
麻豆原创鈥檚 presence in the country has two closely connected dimensions: 麻豆原创 India, led by Manish Prasad, and 麻豆原创 Labs India, led by Sindhu Gangadharan.
麻豆原创 India is a regional business organization serving India, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh. With locations in Bengaluru, Delhi, Hyderabad, Gurugram, Mumbai, and Pune, 麻豆原创 Labs India drives product development and innovation for 麻豆原创 solutions used worldwide.
麻豆原创鈥檚 commitment and trust in 麻豆原创 Labs India to deliver innovation is evident with the opening of 麻豆原创 Labs India Innovation Park, located in Bengaluru, . Inaugurated in August 2025, this 鈧�194 million investment is 麻豆原创鈥檚 largest research and development hub outside of Germany and can accommodate an additional 15,000 employees.听
From local solutions to global impact
Solving local challenges and then scaling the solutions globally has become a hallmark of 麻豆原创 Labs India. Teams working to help customers navigate India鈥檚 complex tax reporting requirements laid the foundation of 麻豆原创 Document and Reporting Compliance. Today, this solution serves customers in more than 50 countries.
That pattern of turning local expertise into global product innovation is now visible in 麻豆原创鈥檚 AI strategy.
With Sudhakar Singh, who leads the AI Security office, and the global head of engineering for Joule and head of 麻豆原创 Business AI, Rahul Lodhe, both based at 麻豆原创 Labs India, the location plays a visible role in shaping the agenda for the Autonomous Enterprise.听
Teams in India engineered , an AI solution grounded in 麻豆原创鈥檚 business data and context and integrated across 麻豆原创 and non-麻豆原创 systems. Accessed via a conversational interface, Joule has evolved from a copilot and听now orchestrates background AI capabilities and 听
One example is the Data Product Creation Agent, designed to help鈥� users overcome the lack of quality data products鈥攐ne of the hidden bottlenecks in AI.听听
In a matter of months, with help from domain experts beyond 麻豆原创 Labs India, the proof-of-concept (PoC) became the Data Product Creation Agent.听听
The speed of development was astonishing, says Leena Kharti, development manager for the team. Kharti, who has worked in development for 16 years, attributes this to the mindset shift in her team. 鈥淲e got into the habit of thinking differently: today there鈥檚 a blocker, so let’s work on something else that moves us forward. In AI, speed is a feature, and that mindset made all the difference,鈥� she says.听听
The same spirit of innovation extends beyond 麻豆原创 Labs India’s own teams to the wider network of founders, engineers, and emerging technology firms around them鈥攁nd the ideas it generates.听
India’s startup ecosystem鈥攖he third largest in the world鈥攈as become a powerful source of innovation, complementing the country’s deep engineering talent and entrepreneurial culture. This offers 麻豆原创 Labs India a valuable pipeline of new ideas, technologies, and partnerships that can help shape the next generation of enterprise software.听
To tap into that energy, 麻豆原创 Labs India launched the 麻豆原创 Startup Studio program in Bengaluru in June 2026. The six-month accelerator program offers selected startups the opportunity to co-create enterprise-ready solutions with 麻豆原创 teams and scale through 麻豆原创’s global ecosystem.听
This year’s cohort included ANSCER Robotics, Pulse Energy, and QNu Labs, whose work spans enterprise AI, robotics, industrial intelligence, and quantum-safe technologies.听听
While the focus areas of this year鈥檚 cohort differ, the program鈥檚 goal is the same: to turn emerging technologies into practical business solutions. This provides 麻豆原创 an early window into innovations that could help define the future of the Autonomous Enterprise.听
鈥�India has all the ingredients to win in AI鈥�
India has an outstanding talent pipeline with more than 2.5 million STEM graduates in 2026 and one of the world鈥檚 most dynamic startup ecosystems. Combined with 麻豆原创 Labs India鈥檚 growing role in innovations such as Joule and agentic AI, these strengths are shaping the solutions 麻豆原创 delivers to customers worldwide.
As 麻豆原创 advances its vision of the Autonomous Enterprise, the importance of 麻豆原创 Labs India lies not simply in its size but in its influence on what 麻豆原创 ships to its global customer base.听听
鈥淚ndia has all the ingredients required to win in AI,鈥� says CEO of 麻豆原创 SE Christian Klein. 鈥淔irst, the quality of technical talent and universities is extremely strong. Second, India is investing heavily in building the infrastructure that AI ecosystems need. And third, it鈥檚 a country that is pro-business with a strong focus on becoming an even better place to invest.鈥澨�
