Atlassian doubles down on India with Bengaluru AI R&D hub

Atlassian, a global leader in team collaboration and productivity software, has formalized its growing commitment to India with the inauguration of a new, state-of-the-art research and development center in Bengaluru. This move reinforces India’s role as a strategic hub for Atlassian’s global operations and product innovation, particularly in the realm of artificial intelligence. The new facility is more than just extra office space; it’s a deliberate investment in Indian technical talent that has become central to the company’s core products used by millions worldwide. Since establishing a presence in India in 2018 with a small team, Atlassian’s Indian workforce has grown to become its largest outside Australia and the United States, underscoring the market’s importance to Atlassian’s long-term growth goals.

The Bengaluru R&D center signals Atlassian’s aggressive regional expansion. The facility is significantly larger than the company’s prior India office, designed to accommodate a substantial rise in staff as Atlassian pursues robust hiring. The company has consistently expanded its recruitment in India, reflecting the high caliber of local talent. A defining feature of Atlassian’s Indian operations is the heavy concentration of roles in research and development, with roughly three-quarters of the India-based team focused on R&D. These teams are not peripheral; they sit at the heart of the innovation pipeline, contributing to critical product areas such as enterprise search, commerce, and data residency. Their work directly influences Atlassian’s global customer base, including major corporations and organizations across sectors.

The Bengaluru center stands as a clear indicator of Atlassian’s confidence in India’s tech ecosystem. Executives have repeatedly praised Bengaluru’s exceptional technical talent as a major driver of the expansion. The city’s business infrastructure and thriving tech community align well with Atlassian’s longer-term objectives. India is now described as the company’s fastest-growing R&D location globally, a key pillar in its plan to reach a vast, worldwide user base. The investment goes beyond physical space; it includes collaborations with local educational institutions to nurture future talent and bridge skill gaps, ensuring a steady pipeline of skilled professionals. Atlassian has also engaged with the local startup scene by launching a venture fund to back Indian startups building on Atlassian’s platform, further embedding itself in the Indian innovation landscape.

Industry analysts note that Atlassian’s expansion could accelerate AI capabilities within India’s tech sector. The Bengaluru team’s work on complex areas like enterprise search involves applying advanced AI and machine learning techniques. The innovations emanating from Bengaluru are expected to enhance Atlassian’s flagship tools, such as Jira and Confluence, making them smarter and more predictive. As Atlassian continues to build AI capabilities, the Bengaluru center may play a pivotal role at the forefront of these developments. The company’s flexible “Team Anywhere” policy has also played a significant role in attracting talent from across the country, not just Bengaluru, illustrating the broader appeal of Atlassian’s blended approach to work. This combination of a physical innovation hub and a distributed workforce positions Atlassian to fully leverage India’s distributed tech talent.

In summary, the Bengaluru R&D center marks a milestone in Atlassian’s global expansion and its deepening relationship with India. The facility is more than an office; it is a strategic nexus for innovation, talent development, and product leadership. By placing a substantial portion of core research and development in the hands of India-based teams, Atlassian signals confidence in the country’s talent and potential. Bengaluru’s status as a global technology and R&D hub is further reinforced, highlighting a broader trend of multinational tech firms establishing critical innovation centers in India. As Bengaluru teams contribute to the next generation of collaboration and productivity software, their AI-focused work is poised to influence how teams work together around the world.