By Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has said the state government wants to position Lucknow among India’s leading cities for artificial intelligence innovation, with a plan to support at least 50 AI-focused startups in the state capital over the next five years.
Speaking at an event marking the 10th anniversary of HCLTech’s Lucknow campus, Adityanath urged the technology company to work closely with the state government to build a stronger AI ecosystem in the city. He said the government would extend support to startups from their early stages and help them connect with global markets.
The chief minister said Lucknow’s technology ambitions should go beyond conventional IT services. The government, he said, wants the city to emerge as a hub for artificial intelligence, semiconductors, cybersecurity, advanced computing and deep technology.
Adityanath also highlighted the long association between HCL and Uttar Pradesh, describing the company’s presence in Lucknow as a matter of pride for the state. Referring to HCL founder Shiv Nadar’s roots in Uttar Pradesh, he said the company’s decision to establish its campus in Lucknow had strengthened the relationship between the technology major and the city.
According to the chief minister, the impact of HCLTech’s Lucknow operations goes beyond investment and employment figures. He said the company had helped create opportunities for young people and supported the aspirations of families whose children were able to build their careers without having to leave the state.
Adityanath identified Uttar Pradesh’s young workforce as one of its biggest advantages. He said that a decade ago, many young professionals from the state had to move to cities such as Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru and Hyderabad in search of better career opportunities. Lucknow, he said, was now increasingly becoming a destination where young people could pursue technology and professional careers.
He also pointed to improvements in connectivity and infrastructure across Uttar Pradesh. The chief minister said the approximately 1,200-km distance between Ballia and Bijnor, which once took several days to cover, could now be travelled in around 10 hours.
Highlighting the growth of the state’s technology and electronics sectors, Adityanath said Uttar Pradesh now accounts for about 55 per cent of mobile manufacturing in India and nearly 60 per cent of the country’s electronic component production. He said IT and IT-enabled services exports from the state had risen from around Rs 12,000-15,000 crore a decade ago to more than Rs 1 lakh crore.
The state government is targeting Rs 2.5 lakh crore in IT and IT-enabled services exports over the next four years, he said. Electronics exports, meanwhile, have increased from roughly Rs 3,800 crore a decade ago to Rs 45,000 crore, with the government setting a target of Rs 2 lakh crore by 2030.
Adityanath said the state’s IT ecosystem was no longer concentrated only in Noida. IT parks are already operating in Lucknow, Kanpur, Prayagraj, Meerut and Agra, while seven Software Technology Parks are operational across Uttar Pradesh. New IT parks are also being developed in Varanasi, Bareilly, Kanpur and Gorakhpur.
Under the state’s new startup policy, Noida and Lucknow are being developed as deep-tech centres, while work is progressing on an AI city and a wider artificial intelligence ecosystem in Lucknow.
The chief minister also praised HCL’s social initiatives in Uttar Pradesh, saying its programmes had reached more than 50 lakh people across over 3,000 villages during the past decade. He said the company had contributed to education, rural livelihoods and community development, particularly in districts such as Sitapur and Bulandshahr.
Adityanath said technology-led development should ultimately improve the lives of people outside major urban centres as well. He argued that genuine development should mean better technology access for farmers, new livelihood opportunities for women, improved education and healthcare for children, and greater participation of rural youth in the emerging economy.
HCLTech Chairperson Roshni Nadar Malhotra said Uttar Pradesh remained the “karmabhoomi” and home of the HCL Group, adding that the company continued to have strong confidence in the state’s talent and future opportunities.
