IIT Madras report calls for 2 Million XR jobs by 2030

Researchers from Indian Institute of Technology Madras have released a report urging policymakers to position India as a global leader in Extended Reality (XR) technologies and create two million high-value jobs in the sector by 2030.
The report, titled “Bolstering India’s XR Startup and Innovation Ecosystem: A Case Study of the TN AVGC-XR Policy 2026,” was brought out by the Metaverse India Policy and Standards Committee of the Experiential Technology Innovation Centre at IIT Madras. It recommends shifting India’s XR sector from a service-driven model to one focused on original intellectual property creation, advanced research and development, and strategic manufacturing.
The study highlights that India currently has more than 1,000 XR startups and SMEs working in areas such as Virtual Reality, Augmented Reality and Mixed Reality. While welcoming Tamil Nadu’s target of capturing 20 per cent of India’s XR market and generating 200,000 service-oriented jobs, the report cautions that long-term growth requires greater focus on innovation-led employment.
M. Manivannan said the report proposes creation of a State-level “TN-XR Cloud” to provide subsidised access to high-end GPU infrastructure for startups, researchers and academic institutions.
The report also recommends establishing an “XR Corridor” integrating innovation centres, skill hubs and manufacturing clusters. It identifies opportunities in healthcare, defence, education and manufacturing sectors, while stressing the need for dedicated policies on AI-generated XR assets, immersive environments and child safety standards.