CHENNAI GOES NORTH

IT, ITeS, GCC, fintech, deep-tech and startup companies are set to foray into one of the state’s oldest manufacturing hubs, north Chennai and Tiruvallur, so far known for petrochemicals, auto components, steel plants, heavy engineering and MSMEs.
The state govt has announced a slew of initiatives such as TN Tech City at Madhavaram and

Tamil Nadu Knowledge City

at Uthukottai in Tiruvallur district. And, a 21-storey Tidel Park is nearing inauguration at Pattabiram near Avadi.
State-owned Tidco, which is setting up TN Tech City, expects the facility to attract domestic and global investments of 33,610 crore over the next 20 years. Unlike the IT-focused tidel parks, the 150-acre tech city will support emerging technologies across sectors — IT, life sciences, aerospace and defence, space and fintech. It will also have a data park designed to meet the growing demands for data storage, processing, and security.
Tamil Nadu Knowledge City is coming up over 1,424 acres in two phases at Uthukottai. The aim is to create a world class ecosystem that hosts top-notch educational institutions and R&D to transform the state into a knowledge powerhouse. Tiruvallur was chosen due to its proximity to MSMEs and major employment corridors, which will foster industry collaboration.

“Tamil Nadu has long established itself as a global manufacturing powerhouse, but as we grow, our ambitions must grow too,” says industries minister T R B Rajaa. “Our focus now is on creating better paying jobs for our people. One of the key drivers of this next phase of growth is building a knowledge economy. TN Tech City and Tamil Nadu Knowledge City reflect this vision. We aim to make the northern peripheries of Chennai a hub for innovation, research and technology,” he adds.

The three facilities will create a tech and knowledge cluster that will attract global IT/ITES investments. This will also open doors in sunrise sectors such as quantum computing, AI, advanced manufacturing, EV research and green energy manufacturing, says Rajaa. “This cluster will foster synergies between education, research, and industry,” he adds.

Madhavaram (Photo by A Prathap)
The govt is keen on developing this area as a knowledge and research hub where top 100 QS world university ranking institutions come in, says Tidco managing director

Sandeep Nanduri

. “We are looking at some good international benchmarks like Dubai. We are also looking at premier institutions including IITs, IIMs and the IISc. We have started approaching these institutions to understand their expansion plans and invite them to set up in our knowledge city,” he adds.
The tech city and knowledge city are important to bridge the gap between industry and academia, says IIT-M director

V Kamakoti

. The tech city should target emerging technologies that are critical to India. “In the space sector, besides rocket engine manufacturing, we can look at fuel injection systems.” Semiconductor fabrication is another area, he adds.
The three facilities will enable more GCCs to set up shop in the state, says

Rajaram Venkataraman

, convener & head, FICCI Tamil Nadu technology panel, and strategic advisor, Kritilabs. Companies in the Middle East, Singapore and some southeast Asian countries will prefer our data centres as we will provide performance on a par with technologically advanced nations at a high RoI, he says.
“IT companies and GCCs on OMR are keen on expanding to tap talent across the city. Establishing newer centres will help attract and retain good talent,” says

Ramkumar Ramamoorthy

, chair, taskforce on GCC, CII Tamil Nadu, partner, Catalincs. “I expect GCCs and BPOs to be the biggest beneficiaries of this move,” he adds.