Chennai
Chennai is the centre of AI and software work in Tamil Nadu. It has the state's largest group of startups, a dense cluster of global capability centres, and the state's main data centre cluster. IIT Madras and its research park add research and deep-tech startups to the mix.
- Software and SaaS
- Global capability centres
- Data centres
- Deep-tech research
- On the map
- 45
- Events coming up
- 12
- In the brief
- 10
What to know
Chennai district has 5,134 DPIIT-recognised startups, the most of any district in Tamil Nadu (July 2026).
DT NextChennai had 108 MW of operational data centre capacity in June 2024, with about 134 MW more under construction for 2026.
JLLChennai hosts about 10% of all global capability centres in India, according to an ANAROCK-FICCI report (December 2025).
Storyboard18The ELCOT IT SEZ at Sholinganallur covers about 377 acres and employs about 74,000 people, the largest of ELCOT's eight IT parks.
Tamil Nadu IT & Digital Services Department, Policy Note 2025-26In January 2026 the state signed an MoU with Sarvam AI for a Rs 10,000 crore sovereign AI park in Chennai.
Business Today
Names to know: IIT Madras, IIT Madras Research Park, Anna University, iTNT Hub
On the map in Chennai
Open on the mapStartups 15
- Botminds Fintech
- Datasee.AI Renewable energy
- Detect Technologies Industrial safety
- Disprz Edtech
- Facilio Property operations
- FourKites Logistics
- HCL GUVI Edtech
- MavenAI Technologies Insurance
- Pando Logistics
- Planys Technologies Infrastructure inspection
- Quantrium Enterprise software
- Solinas Integrity Water and sanitation
- SuperOps Enterprise software
- Uniphore Enterprise software
- Vue.ai (Mad Street Den) Enterprise software
Companies 9
- Freshworks Enterprise software
- Indium Data and AI services
- Intellect Design Arena Fintech
- Kissflow Enterprise software
- LatentView Analytics Data analytics
- Ramco Systems Enterprise software
- Sify Technologies AI infrastructure
- Tiger Analytics Data analytics
- Zoho Enterprise software
Research labs 7
- AI4Bharat Language
- AU-KBC Research Centre Language
- Centre for Artificial Intelligence and Data Science Research and Applications (CAInDRA), Anna University Research
- Centre for Responsible AI (CeRAI), IIT Madras Research
- IITM Pravartak Technologies Foundation Research
- Robert Bosch Centre for Data Science and AI (RBCDSAI), IIT Madras Research
- Wadhwani School of Data Science and AI, IIT Madras Research
Colleges 6
- Anna University Education
- Chennai Mathematical Institute (CMI) Education
- Hindustan Institute of Technology and Science (HITS) Education
- IIITDM Kancheepuram Education
- IIT Madras Education
- Sathyabama Institute of Science and Technology Education
Incubators 5
- Centre for Entrepreneurship Development, Anna University Incubation
- IIT Madras Incubation Cell (IITMIC) Deep tech
- IIT Madras Research Park Research and incubation
- iTNT Hub (Tamil Nadu Technology Hub) Deep tech
- StartupTN (Tamil Nadu Startup and Innovation Mission) Startup support
Investors 3
- Speciale Invest Investment
- Tamil Nadu Emerging Sector Seed Fund (TNESSF) Investment
- The Chennai Angels (TCA) Investment
Events in Chennai
- Oct15Root to Shoot VentureFest 2026SRM Institute of Science and Technology, Vadapalani Campus
- Oct17Data Science Essentials: AI and Robotic Process AutomationIIT Madras Research Park, Tharamani
- Oct17DevFest Chennai 2026IIT Madras Research Park
- Oct17GitHub Dev Days Chennai (Skillup Tamilnadu Session 10)Innovation AI Chennai and Azure Developer Community Tamilnadu
Chennai in the brief
- IIT Madras aims to have its Garbhini-GA2 AI model, which estimates foetal age from Indian ultrasound data, ready for hospital use by 2027-28.
- Madras Christian College built an AI voice-to-text tool so blind students can dictate exam answers without a human scribe.
- IIT Madras Research Park and Unicorn India Ventures announced the first close of a deep-tech fund aiming for Rs 600 to 1,000 crore.
- Qlik and ICT Academy renewed a pact, signed in Chennai with AI Minister R. Kumar present, to teach data and AI skills to one million more learners.