Karnataka is shifting its innovation focus beyond Bengaluru, with the Hubballi-Dharwad-Belagavi corridor poised to become a major hub for electronics, AI, and advanced manufacturing, supported by significant government investment and strategic planning.
Karnataka is widening its technology map beyond Bengaluru, with the Hubballi-Dharwad-Belagavi corridor now positioned as a central pillar of the state’s “Beyond Bengaluru” push. At a recent industry gathering, Information Technology, Biotechnology and E-Governance Minister Priyank Kharge said the region already has the industrial depth to support a larger role in the state’s growth, with strengths spanning semiconductors, electronics system design and manufacturing, electric vehicles, artificial intelligence, deep tech, Industry 4.0 and advanced engineering.
The state’s ambitions for the corridor are considerable. According to reporting by Express Computer, Karnataka wants to attract 35 large companies, five ESDM firms, 10 global capability centres and 100 startups to the area over the next three to five years. The government is also backing the plan with a Rs 25 crore cluster seed fund, new infrastructure in Belagavi, electronics manufacturing investments and links between industry and academic institutions.
The Hubballi-Dharwad-Belagavi region is being marketed as a cluster of complementary strengths rather than a single city play. Hubballi has an expanding technology and entrepreneurial base, Dharwad offers academic and research capacity, and Belagavi already has a presence in aerospace, precision engineering and advanced manufacturing. Business Standard has previously reported that the state’s wider Beyond Bengaluru strategy also targets other centres such as Mysuru and Mangaluru, but the HDB corridor is now emerging as one of the clearest bets for scale outside the capital.
The numbers behind the plan suggest why the state is investing here. Express Computer reported that the wider HDB cluster has about 850 DPIIT-recognised startups and roughly 30,000 tech and tech-enabled jobs, with an economy valued at Rs 2.79 lakh crore, or about 11% of Karnataka’s GDP. The cluster spans six districts and is also seeing manufacturing build-out, including planned GPC infrastructure in Belagavi, an electronics manufacturing cluster at Kotur-Belur and a separate project under way in Dharwad. Kharge has said the state will try to make it easier for companies to set up and expand there, while connecting the region to national and global markets.
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