Hyderabad has emerged as the largest research and development base for Swedish industrial technology firm Hexagon AB, underscoring the city’s growing influence in global engineering and digital manufacturing ecosystems. With around 2,200 professionals based in its Hyderabad centre — more than in some of its long-established European locations — the company is increasingly building its software backbone from India.
The Hyderabad hub develops core platforms that connect Hexagon’s hardware sensors — including laser scanners and airborne mapping systems — to cloud-based analytics engines. These systems process vast geospatial, construction and manufacturing datasets, enabling industries to simulate, measure and optimise physical environments in real time.Company officials indicate that the India centre supports multiple business divisions, ranging from geospatial intelligence to advanced manufacturing solutions. Cross-functional collaboration allows engineers to repurpose core technologies across sectors, shortening product development cycles and accelerating innovation. Technologies originally designed to scan terrain and infrastructure are now being adapted for applications in sectors such as medical aesthetics, illustrating the versatility of digital measurement tools.
Hexagon, which reported revenues exceeding $6 billion in fiscal 2025, has spent more than two decades building tools that bridge the physical and digital worlds. Its systems are widely used in urban planning, infrastructure monitoring, mining, automotive design and smart manufacturing — sectors increasingly central to climate-resilient development.Urban technology analysts say Hyderabad’s rise as a software nerve centre for such firms reflects a broader structural shift. Global industrial companies are no longer limiting India operations to back-office functions; instead, they are situating high-value engineering and product development roles in cities with deep technical talent pools.
For Hyderabad, this trend reinforces its position as a global capability hub beyond traditional IT services. The presence of advanced R&D operations supports higher-income employment, knowledge transfer and spin-off innovation in areas such as digital twins, smart city modelling and sustainable infrastructure design.Real estate consultants note that the growth of deep-tech engineering centres is reshaping commercial space demand in western Hyderabad. Grade A office campuses are increasingly designed with collaborative workspaces, energy-efficient systems and digital infrastructure capable of supporting AI-driven workloads.
From an urban development perspective, the convergence of industrial technology and software intelligence has implications for city governance. Geospatial analytics and precision measurement tools are becoming essential in transport planning, flood risk modelling and resource optimisation.As Hyderabad consolidates its role in global engineering networks, the expansion of centres like Hexagon’s signals a long-term realignment of industrial innovation. The challenge ahead lies in aligning this growth with sustainable infrastructure, inclusive workforce development and climate-conscious urban planning — ensuring that digital intelligence translates into tangible improvements in how cities are built and managed.
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Hyderabad Powers Hexagon Global Engineering Shift
