The new office will act as a global centre of excellence for the company, with aims to increase involvement in India’s burgeoning tech industry.

Artefact said it wanted to increase growth in its data and AI, as well as hiring talent from India’s engineering and management schools in areas including AI and machine learning, data science and data analysis, and business consultancy.

The company is aiming to hire 500 new staff over the next three years following the opening of the Pune office.

Rahul Arya, chief executive officer and managing partner at Artefact Middle East and North Africa and India, will lead the expansion of Artefact India.

Arya said: “As we continue to expand, launching in India is a strategic endeavour for Artefact. The rich talent pool and innovative ecosystem in India present an ideal landscape for Artefact to empower organisations worldwide with transformative AI, data and digital solutions.”

Vincent Luciani, co-founder and chief executive officer at Artefact, added: “By entering the world’s most populous country and harnessing its high level of education in science and technology, Artefact is taking a significant step towards realising its ambition of becoming a leading force in the data and AI domain.

“This excellency of services and hybrid tech and business model will be replicated in India under the leadership of Rahul Arya, to whom I wish and his teams every success in expanding their activities.”