HYDERABAD, India, Feb 24 (Reuters) - U.S. drugmaker

Amgen ( AMGN ) will invest about $200 million this year in its

new technology centre in southern India, with further

investments planned, Chief Executive Officer Robert Bradway said

at the inauguration of the site on Monday.

Amgen ( AMGN ) announced its plans to open a "technology and

innovation" site in India last year that is focused on

increasing the use of artificial intelligence and data science

to support development of new medicines.

The drugmaker is one of many pharmaceutical giants looking

to expand their presence in India, the so-called "pharmacy of

the world", and has emerged as a hub for global capability

centres in recent years.

"We have wanted for a long time to expand Amgen's ( AMGN ) presence

in India and that time has come. Amgen ( AMGN ) is investing an initial

$200 million in this centre in 2025 and plan to make additional

significant investments in future years," Bradway said.

The site in Hyderabad, capital of the state of Telangana, is

expected to have a workforce of about 2,000 by the end of the

year, with around 300 employees already working there, said Som

Chattopadhyay, national executive for India at Amgen ( AMGN ).

The city will also host the BioAsia conference this week,

where executives from global drugmakers including Amgen ( AMGN ), Eli

Lilly ( LLY ) and Novartis, as well as several Indian

pharmaceutical giants will be speaking.