Digital Divide Data's big AI bet is not just on technology, but talent

VMPL
New Delhi [India], September 11: Artificial intelligence is moving past chatbots into robotics and autonomous systems, and the work behind it is changing with it. Building these systems now demands more specialised data, more rigorous training, and people who can judge how AI behave in situations no one can fully script in advance.
That shift is also changing where companies go looking for AI talent. India's established technology hubs remain central, but a growing number of companies are looking beyond them for younger talent that can be trained into specialised roles. The timing matters: global AI spending is projected to hit $2.59 trillion in 2026, up 47% on last year, while the data-labelling market, worth around $20 billion in 2025, is set to more than double by 2030.
The opportunity here isn't just staffing up with people who can work alongside AI, it's building the capability base for the next generation of AI systems. That is the bet Digital Divide Data (DDD) is being replaced with its new Global Capability Centre in Dehradun.
" India has become a critical center of gravity for enterprise AI, and Dehradun is an important investment in DDD’s next chapter. It expands our ability to support clients building increasingly sophisticated AI products, including physical AI and robotics, while strengthening the technical and delivery capability of our global network,” said Steve Larson, Chief Operating Officer, Digital Divide Data.

Operational since August 1, the centre has already onboarded 150 employees across three batches, with plans to scale to 800–1,000. Its mandate spans robotics, physical AI, generative AI, data curation, model evaluation and AI data preparation.
DDD picked Dehradun for its pool of young talent and its network of universities and technical institutions, as well as the chance to create technology careers locally — evaluating and passing over Noida, Jaipur and Lucknow along the way. Recruitment has centred on fresh graduates, and the company expects that base to grow substantially as the centre scales.
New hires go through two to four weeks of foundational training followed by client-specific training, with a path into quality assurance, supervisory, technical, client-facing and leadership roles.

" We chose Dehradun because of its depth of talent and its potential to create meaningful technology careers for people in Uttarakhand. With 150 colleagues already onboarded, we are building a center that combines rigorous training, high standards, and real opportunities for people to grow with the work,” said Bethuel Jabez, Vice President of Operations, Digital Divide Data.
From delivery centre to centre of excellence
DDD's ambition extends past running another delivery centre. Over the next three years, it plans to build out the Dehradun operation into a full centre of excellence, with capabilities spanning engineering, solution development and complex, client-facing AI work.
Robotics is one proof point. Teams at the centre run egocentric data collection using VR headsets and specialised cameras, capturing hand movement, angle, grip and pressure.  The stakes in some of these works are higher than a chatbot getting a response wrong.
DDD is also reaching into local colleges, bringing in students from their third year onward. It's an extension of the company's impact-sourcing model, which it says has created more than 15,000 careers since 2001, with 95% of them for people from economically or socially marginalised backgrounds.
Dehradun, in other words, isn't just a new address for DDD. It's a bet that specialised AI capability can be built from scratch, out of local talent and structured training, rather than imported fully formed from India's established tech cities.
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