HCLTech targets mid-market enterprises with new AI, cloud unit

Indian IT services firm HCLTech has set up a dedicated business unit, HCLTech Pulse, to target enterprises with annual revenues of $500 million to $5 billion, as the IT services company steps up investments and partnerships around AI and bets on growing demand from enterprises moving from experimentation to scaled deployment.

The new unit will bring together HCLTech’s capabilities across AI, data, cloud, cybersecurity, engineering and business-process transformation, targeting a segment that the company estimates represents a $400 billion global technology-services opportunity and is growing at 7–9% annually, citing Everest Group.

The move comes as HCLTech has been expanding its presence across the AI stack. In June, the company announced a 10.5% stake in Indian generative AI startup Sarvam AI for about $151 million, leading its Series B funding round. In the same month, it launched an AI Innovation Zone with Google Cloud in Santa Clara, California, aimed at helping enterprises develop and deploy agentic, kinetic and physical AI applications.

HCLTech has also announced plans to invest ₹35 billion in the data-centre business, with potential capacity of up to 50MW, expanding its presence in infrastructure that underpins AI workloads.

The company has meanwhile secured a $1.1 billion AI-led deal with a European Fortune Global 50 company, according to reports, underscoring the scale of enterprise demand for AI-led technology transformation.

Against this backdrop, HCLTech Pulse will focus on organisations that have traditionally relied on multiple specialist providers for technology strategy, implementation and operations. Its portfolio will cover AI strategy and implementation, data and AI platforms, cloud transformation, application and enterprise-platform modernisation, cybersecurity, engineering and managed services.

“AI is rewriting the economics of growth,” said C Vijayakumar, CEO and managing director, HCLTech. He said Pulse would combine HCLTech’s AI, engineering, cyber, data and industry capabilities to help enterprises rethink processes and translate AI investments into measurable business value.

Peter Bendor-Samuel, founder and executive chairman of Everest Group, said the segment represents an approximately $400 billion opportunity and is growing as organisations move from AI experimentation towards scaled deployment.

HCLTech said Pulse will also focus on responsible AI, helping clients build the data, technology and governance capabilities required to deploy AI with greater speed and control.

The unit is positioned as an extension of HCLTech’s existing portfolio, but with a delivery model specifically focused on the $500 million-$5 billion enterprise segment and its transformation priorities.