Pune, India – June 4, 2025 – Snowflake R&D Centre India – Snowflake, a leading cloud-based data platform and enterprise AI company, has announced plans to set up a Research and Development (R&D) centre in India, further expanding its operations in Pune. This move underscores the company’s commitment to tapping into India’s growing tech talent pool and enhancing its global AI and data innovation capabilities. With a workforce of over 600 employees already in India, Snowflake is positioning itself to play a pivotal role in the country’s booming AI ecosystem while deepening its collaboration with Indian enterprises.
Strategic Expansion in India’s Tech Hub
Snowflake’s decision to establish an R&D centre in India comes as part of a broader strategy to grow its local talent base and enterprise technology capabilities. The company, which already operates a Centre of Excellence (CoE) in Pune with 500-600 employees, plans to leverage the new R&D facility to drive innovation in AI, machine learning, and data analytics. CEO Sridhar Ramaswamy, speaking at a virtual media roundtable on June 3, 2025, emphasized India’s strategic importance: “Snowflake is committed to growing our India business by strengthening our talent base, expanding our office presence, and building capabilities to drive enterprise tech work out of our Pune CoE. The R&D centre is a natural next step.”
The Pune CoE has been a cornerstone of Snowflake’s global operations, supporting functions like corporate IT, product innovation, customer success, and finance. The centre’s “Snow on Snow” initiative—a program showcasing how Snowflake uses its own platform for HR, finance, and sales—has already demonstrated real-world proof of concept for clients. With the addition of an R&D centre, Snowflake aims to further collaborate with partners to develop industry-specific AI solutions, enhancing its offerings for sectors like banking, retail, and logistics.
India: A Key Market for AI and Data Innovation
India has emerged as one of Snowflake’s fastest-growing markets, driven by the increasing adoption of AI and data-driven solutions among enterprises. The company, which reported $1 billion in revenue for the first quarter ending April 30, 2025, with a profit of $711.5 million, is projected to achieve 25% year-on-year growth to $4.3 billion in FY26. Snowflake’s India operations, which include partnerships with companies like LTIMindtree, TCS, Swiggy, and Razorpay, have already delivered significant value. For instance, Swiggy has achieved a 92% reduction in failed queries over five minutes, while Razorpay benefits from real-time data sharing for fraud prevention.
Ramaswamy highlighted the role of India’s Global Capability Centers (GCCs) in Snowflake’s strategy: “Many large US customers, including banks, have entire divisions in India. We are investing in GCCs to enable closer collaboration with these clients.” With over 600,000 tech professionals in India driving data innovation through GCCs, Snowflake sees an opportunity to expand its Pune team to better engage with these hubs.
Skilling the Next Generation of AI Talent
Beyond infrastructure expansion, Snowflake is investing heavily in India’s AI ecosystem through upskilling initiatives. In collaboration with the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) and Nasscom’s FutureSkills Prime, Snowflake aims to train 1 lakh professionals and students in data and AI skills over the next two years. This initiative, part of Snowflake’s global One Million Minds and One Platform program, focuses on providing free entry-level courses to foster a data-proficient talent pool. “We want to train the next generation of data scientists and AI-literate professionals,” Ramaswamy noted, emphasizing the long-term benefits of such programs for India’s tech landscape.
Snowflake’s focus on skilling extends beyond major cities, reaching Tier-2 and Tier-3 locations and even rural areas, ensuring broader access to AI education. The company has also introduced language support for all major Indian languages in its large language model (LLM), Snowflake Arctic, to make its platform more accessible to diverse users.
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The Bigger Picture: AI Transformation and Challenges
Snowflake’s expansion comes at a time when India’s AI market is projected to reach $6 billion by 2027, with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 33.7% from 2022 to 2027, according to the International Data Corporation (IDC). However, challenges such as data localization, privacy concerns, and the need for a robust data strategy remain. Snowflake has stated its compliance with India’s Data Protection Act and local data residency norms, addressing concerns about data security.
Critics, however, point to broader industry trends where heavy investments in AI and R&D often lead to workforce adjustments. While Snowflake is hiring in India, its global losses grew to $836 million in FY24 due to significant R&D spending. Some analysts question whether such expansions prioritize shareholder value over long-term employee stability, especially as AI adoption automates traditional roles. Posts on X reflect mixed sentiment, with some users praising Snowflake’s investment in India, while others express concerns about job security in the face of AI-driven transformations.
What’s Next for Snowflake in India?
Snowflake’s R&D centre in Pune is expected to become a hub for innovation, focusing on AI-driven solutions tailored for Indian enterprises. The company plans to deepen its engagement with sectors like BFSI (Banking, Financial Services, and Insurance), manufacturing, and retail, while also exploring opportunities in the public sector and consumer packaged goods (CPG) industries. With a global workforce of 11,000 employees, including over 600 in India, Snowflake is poised to scale its operations further, potentially adding more roles in engineering, product development, and customer success.
For professionals seeking opportunities, Snowflake’s expansion opens doors to roles in AI, data engineering, and analytics. Interested candidates can explore openings at Snowflake Careers. As Snowflake continues to invest in India, its focus on innovation, skilling, and partnerships positions it as a key player in the country’s AI-driven future.
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The information in this blog post on IT Referral Jobs is provided for informational purposes only and is subject to change. Snowflake is responsible for the accuracy of its expansion-related details. For the most up-to-date information, please refer to official Snowflake announcements. This blog post on IT Referral Jobs is not an official statement and is intended to inform readers about Snowflake’s plans in India. For inquiries, contact Snowflake directly through their official channels.
