The story
Chennai's IT industry took off in the late 1990s with Tidel Park and the STPI scheme, drawing on the city's many engineering colleges. Large Indian IT firms built some of their biggest campuses on Old Mahabalipuram Road, which became the IT Corridor. Banks, insurers and carmakers later set up global capability centres here. Chennai is also known for SaaS start-ups that sell to global customers.
In numbers
STPI-Chennai units recorded software exports of ₹85,460 crore, up 6% from ₹80,979 crore in FY24; the jurisdiction covers Chennai, Coimbatore, Madurai, Puducherry, Trichy and Tirunelveli.
STPI-Chennai export performance — Software Technology Parks of India · 2025Tamil Nadu's state IT policy note estimated about 3.75 lakh people working in IT and IT-enabled services in and around Chennai (2014 report).
TN software exports may reach Rs 60K-cr mark in 2012-13: STPI — Business Standard (PTI) · 2014
Ways in for a newcomer
- IT staffing, training and placement services
- Niche SaaS or software services for small and mid-size clients abroad
- Facility services for tech parks: transport, food, housekeeping, security
- Co-working spaces near the IT Corridor
Problems the cluster faces
- AI and automation reduce entry-level roles
- Hiring slowdowns tied to US and European demand
- High attrition and wage competition
- Traffic and rents along OMR
Businesses to start here
IT Support and Managed Services →Mobile App / Software Development Studio →Computer Hardware Service Centre →