Odisha plans iconic IT park as ₹50K crore tech pipeline awaits infra boost

The proposed 25-acre IT park in Bhubaneswar will target IT, ITeS, semiconductor and AI firms as Odisha looks to support over Rs 50,000 crore of proposed investments

Riding on a fresh wave of investments in information technology (IT), electronics manufacturing and semiconductor-related sectors, the Odisha government has decided to develop another IT park with world-class facilities in Bhubaneswar.

 

The proposed IT park will come up on around 25 acres of land at Damana Square, strategically located between Infocity and Infovalley, Odisha's two flagship IT hubs. Situated barely 3 km from Infocity and about 23 km from Infovalley, the project, with the required infrastructure, is expected to accommodate proposed domestic and global technology companies that have evinced interest in investing in the state.

 

The Electronics and IT Department said the park will be developed as an iconic "walk-to-work" tech destination for a next-generation integrated business ecosystem capable of attracting major IT, IT-enabled services (ITeS), semiconductor design, electronics, artificial intelligence (AI), data analytics and emerging technology companies.

 

The department has already floated an expression of interest (EoI), inviting developers and investors to develop and maintain the park, which will have more than 4.5 million square feet of built-up space, along with supporting urban infrastructure, smart utilities and commercial facilities.

 

According to the EoI document, the selected developer will be responsible for planning, designing and developing the entire project in a phased or integrated manner, depending on market demand and project feasibility. The IT park will feature modern office towers, incubation centres, co-working spaces, retail and hospitality facilities, service apartments and residential support infrastructure.

 

"Nearly 70 per cent of the built-up area, or over three million square feet, will be dedicated to IT and IT-enabled services operations, including space for large corporates, global capability centres (GCCs), semiconductor design firms and technology-driven enterprises. The remaining 30 per cent will be developed as mixed-use infrastructure comprising retail, hospitality, residential support and lifestyle facilities, transforming the campus into a vibrant live-work-play destination," read the EoI issued on Thursday.

 

The initiative comes at a time when Odisha is witnessing growing investor interest in technology-led sectors. The state has received investment intents worth more than Rs 50,000 crore in IT, IT-enabled services, electronics manufacturing, semiconductors, data centres and ancillary industries at various investor summits.

 

The state government has already signed MoUs with five semiconductor units, including SiCSem Pvt Ltd for a silicon carbide-based compound semiconductor manufacturing unit and US-headquartered 3D Glass Solutions (3DGS) Inc and Intel for India's first compound semiconductor fab and advanced 3D chip packaging unit, respectively.

 

Several companies, including Zoho, Emmvee Photovoltaic Power, Smartsync Innovations, Kaynes Circuits India, Sancode Technologies, Nextgen Hitech Energy, Vistas Global WLL and VVDN Technologies, have already expressed interest in establishing operations in the state and are awaiting land allotment and infrastructure support.

 

"Recognising the increasing demand for ready-to-use technology infrastructure, the state government has simultaneously accelerated efforts to complete built-up facilities. Work is also being expedited on a series of proposed IT towers, including the NBCC Tower, OBCC Tower, OMC Tower and Chandaka IT Tower, which are expected to significantly augment office space availability for technology companies," said a senior officer of the IT Department.

 

According to industry leaders, several companies are still awaiting land, and Odisha may lose investment opportunities if infrastructure creation fails to keep pace with investor interest. Although the state has announced plans to establish technology business parks and specialised IT clusters, progress on many of these proposals has remained slow.

 

"Availability of world-class office infrastructure is now one of the most critical factors influencing investment decisions. After a substantial portion of land in the Infovalley area was allotted to non-IT companies, the capital city lacks a well-developed IT park to accommodate the upcoming projects. Without proper infrastructure, Odisha risks losing investment opportunities to other cities, which have well-equipped IT parks and other allied infrastructure," they pointed out.

 

Meanwhile, the state government has urged the East Coast Railway to earmark dedicated space for IT and IT-enabled services companies in the upcoming railway station redevelopment complex at Bhubaneswar. It is also reviewing the utilisation of land already allotted to various companies and developers so that unused land parcels can be reclaimed from entities where the intended development has failed to materialise and large tracts have remained vacant for years.