Zoho has announced its plans to establish a larger campus in 2026 that will support a workforce of 2,000 strong in Kumbakonam, Tamil Nadu.
The new campus will support engineering, product development and customer support functions, alongside work on its newly launched enterprise resource planning platform. The expanded campus is set to create local employment, in line with Zoho’s push to build talent beyond the metros.
As per founder and chief scientist Sridhar Vembu, the move reflects Zoho’s commitment to creating sustainable technology careers in semi-urban and rural regions, reducing migration pressures and nurturing community-led development. The expansion also aligns with Zoho’s broader hub-and-spoke operating model, which combines large development centres with smaller regional offices to build distributed innovation ecosystems.
“With Zoho ERP, we have successfully replicated our Tenkasi model in Kumbakonam. We are investing in infrastructure, upskilling initiatives and community development while building deep-tech products from rural India,” explained Vembu. The Tenkasi model refers to Zoho estabishing a office in the rural area of Tenkasi in 2011. The area has since developed significantly, and the Tenkasi district was established in 2019.
“Over a decade ago, we set up an office and planted seeds of opportunity in a rural village near Tenkasi, India. We’re noticing that our efforts have finally begun to bear fruit. By bringing high-paying jobs to this small town, the community has seen a drastic improvement in its economic welfare and stability,” Zoho states on its website.
Zoho is also planning on scaling its in-house Zoho Schools of Learning programme in the region. They will be offering work-integrated education pathways for students who may not follow conventional academic routes. The initiative aims to strengthen the local talent pipeline while building deep technical and product capabilities.
