Starbucks has signed an agreement with the Tamil Nadu state government to establish a global capability center in Chennai and plans to hire around 800 technology workers. The government has not disclosed the investment size. Starbucks technology chief Anand Varadarajan cited Chennai’s talent pool, lower employee turnover and infrastructure as reasons for selecting the city. Chennai hosts centers for Citi, Barclays and American Express and accounts for about a tenth of India’s global capability center base. The announcement follows Walgreens’ agreement with Tamil Nadu earlier this week. A 2026 Nasscom-Zinnov report said India leads the world with more than 2,100 global capability centers employing around 2.36 million people and generating nearly $100 billion in revenue. Starbucks operates roughly 500 cafes in India through a joint venture with Tata Consumer Products. The technology hub is separate from that retail footprint and comes as Chief Executive Officer Brian Niccol pursues a broader growth strategy after declaring the company’s two-year turnaround complete. Global comparable store sales rose 7.9% in the fiscal third quarter ended June 28, while Starbucks also formed a joint venture with Boyu Capital to expand its China store network from 8,000 to as many as 20,000 locations over time.