Bengaluru, Delhi-NCR emerge as primary hubs with 50% share of India's AI job openings: CBRE
Feb 18, 2026
New Delhi [India], February 18 : Bengaluru and Delhi-NCR together account for more than 50 per cent of India's total Artificial Intelligence-related job openings, according to an analysis by CBRE Research. The findings, based on a study of over 64,500 active job listings on Naukri.com as of December 2025, reveal that Bengaluru serves as the primary hub for the technology's evolution with a 25.4 per cent share of total AI-related jobs, followed by Delhi-NCR at 24.8 per cent.
Mumbai ranks third among major cities with a 19.2 per cent share. Together, these three cities collectively account for nearly 70 per cent of all AI-related job openings in the country.
Other significant contributors include Hyderabad at 12.5 per cent, Pune at 9.6 per cent, Chennai at 6.4 per cent, and Kolkata at 2.1 per cent. The concentration of demand reflects the country's growing AI maturity and the strategic importance of talent hubs in shaping the future of innovation.
"AI has transitioned from a buzzword to a crucial peg in India's broader economic and infrastructure growth story," said Anshuman Magazine, Chairman & CEO - India, South-East Asia, and MEA, CBRE. "The rising demand of AI professionals is not just a job trend but a fundamental shift in how global enterprises view India -- as a hub for end-to-end innovation rather than just service delivery. This evolution is set to redefine the country's economic landscape and its position in the global digital value chain."
The surge in AI demand is mirrored by performance in the physical office market. Bengaluru led office absorption in 2025 with a 26 per cent share, followed by Mumbai at 18 per cent and Delhi-NCR at 17 per cent.
The Indian office sector saw total leasing activity hit an all-time high of 82.6 million sq. ft. in 2025. Bengaluru's leadership in AI hiring is linked to its status as the Global Capability Centre (GCC) capital, capturing more than one-third of the country's total GCC leasing activity during the year.
The research identified Engineering, Data Science, and Customer Success as the top three domains for AI roles. While Engineering remains the foundation, the rise of operational roles in Bengaluru and Mumbai indicates that AI now drives real-time business interactions and front-end efficiency.
In Delhi-NCR, AI postings remain most prevalent in the Data Science and Analytics domain. CBRE expects AI-related demand in Marketing, Communication, and Consulting to expand as applications become more integrated into business functions.