Japan’s internet conglomerate Rakuten is set to invest at least USD 100 million in India this year to strengthen its global operations with a sharp focus on artificial intelligence and infrastructure.

The company also plans to grow its India headcount by eight percent as part of its broader strategy to expand its footprint across technology and innovation sectors. Rakuten India CEO Sunil Gopinath confirmed the development, saying the investment will scale up technology, infrastructure, and hiring. “We look for AI-savvy people that we can intersperse across the company,” Gopinath said.

Rakuten, active in fintech, e-commerce, and telecom, is deploying AI to enhance business tools, customer experience, and employee productivity. Its India Global Capability Centre (GCC) plays a vital role in building key platforms like Rakuten Pay and SixthSense, the latter of which proactively monitors system health and predicts issues before they arise.

Rakuten currently employs 4,000 people in India, 90% of whom are tech staff. The company is actively recruiting "power users" of AI to bolster its innovation capacity. The GCC in India manages around 50% of Rakuten’s 70-plus businesses and operates from several locations, including two major centres in Bengaluru.

AI adoption helped the company significantly cut down time spent creating sales material, showcasing its internal productivity gains. The expansion aligns with the growing relevance of India’s GCC market, which is projected to rise to USD105 billion by FY 2030 from USD 64.6 billion in 2024, according to a report by Nasscom and consulting firm Zinnov. Rakuten’s investment underscores India's pivotal role in global tech operations and AI development.