Speakers at the ongoing Kerala Technology Expo (KTX 2024) have underscored the capacity of Kozhikode to become a global IT hub among tier-2 cities in the country owing to its infrastructure, topography, and culture.
Susanth Kurunthil, chief executive officer of Government Cyber Park, Kozhikode, pointed out that with IT employees increasingly showing interest in working closer to home and avoiding offices in metros and mega cities over the past decade, Kozhikode may be attractive to the IT workforce in the area. He cited the high quality of life, centuries-old commercial links with the Gulf, rich tradition of cuisine, literature, music, theatre and cinema, and transport facilities by road, rail, air, and water as factors that made Kozhikode attractive to the IT crowd.
Mr. Kurunthil noted that Silicon Valley, the global IT hub in the United States, had the backing of higher education institutions in its vicinity. Similarly, Kozhikode enjoys the support of the Indian Institute of Management-Kozhikode, National Institute of Technology-Calicut, and even the Indian Institute of Technology-Palakkad, which was not far away.
