N. Manjula, Secretary, Department of Information Technology,
Bio-technology, Electronics and Science and Technology, (centre)
speaking to presspersons in Mangaluru on Friday. Rohit Bhat, lead
anchor, Mangaluru Cluster of Karnataka Digital Economy Mission
(right), and Sanjeev Kumar Gupta, CEO, KDEM are seen.
| Photo Credit: RAVIPRASAD KAMILA
Karnataka Digital Economy Mission (KDEM) has appointed a consultant to study the potential of establishing Mangaluru as a global data centre hub, N. Manjula, Secretary, Department of Information Technology, Bio-technology, Electronics and Science and Technology, said here on Friday.
Speaking to press persons Ms. Manjula said that uninterrupted power and water supply will be the key factors for the data centre to thrive with proper cable landing station and talent pool.
She said that the government has floated the Request for Proposal (RFP) to establish an Information Technology Park in Mangaluru under public private partnership (PPP). The State Cabinet approved this ₹135 crore project proposal recently. The park has been proposed to come up in over three acres of land belonging to Karnataka State Electronics Development Corporation (KEONICS).
Promoting Mangaluru
She said that Mangaluru will be promoted as one of the potential IT hubs at the three-day Bengaluru Tech Summit – 2025 which will begin from November 18.
Ms. Manjula said that Mangaluru region produced 10,000 engineering graduates and 30,000 other graduates annually. Mangaluru Cluster of KDEM is making efforts to retain the talent pool by promoting technology industries in the region. “There is potential, challenges and opportunities for the growth of IT sector beyond Bengaluru,” she said adding that the State government through its policy is promoting beyond Bengaluru initiative.
Ms. Manjula said that IT exports from Mangaluru region stood at ₹3,500 crores during 2024-25.
Sanjeev Kumar Gupta, CEO, KDEM, said that about eight technology companies are now operating in Mangaluru region in a big way and about 35 IT offices were opened in Mangaluru region in the last three years.
Rohit Bhat, lead anchor, Mangaluru Cluster of KDEM said that the demand for IT seats in Mangaluru from companies has gone up from about 20 seats two years ago to 100 seats now. “About 40 technology companies created 8,000 jobs in Mangaluru during the last two years,” Mr. Bhat, who is also the founder of Robosoft, 99 Games, and Wrkwrk said.
Vision document
It may be mentioned here that the vision document of the KDEM for Mangaluru Cluster, comprising Dakshina Kannada, Udupi, Uttara Kannada, and Kodagu districts, has pointed out that undersea cable connectivity will be a critical enabler to strengthen Mangaluru’s position as a global data center hub.
Direct landing stations and subsea cable routes will provide low-latency, high-capacity international bandwidth, making the hub globally competitive for hyperscalers, cloud providers, and AI-driven enterprises, the document released on September 24, 2025, in Mangaluru said.
Published – October 31, 2025 08:13 pm IST
