HomeAirTrunk pledges $30B to build 5GW of AI data centers in India
On Thursday, AirTrunk, a data center operator backed by Blackstone, announced plans to invest $30 billion in India by 2030, joining a growing number of technology and infrastructure firms committed to expanding computing capacity in the country.
The Australian firm stated it would build 5 gigawatts of new data center capacity in India, marking one of the biggest commitments to the country's digital infrastructure. AirTrunk first entered the Indian market earlier this year by acquiring Lumina CloudInfra.
AirTrunk's investment highlights India's increasing attractiveness as a hub for AI infrastructure, as technology companies and investors look for new regions to scale computing power. According to research firm Bernstein, India's data center capacity is expected to grow from roughly 1.5GW currently to as much as 8GW by 2030.
The Indian government has also implemented measures to draw investment into AI infrastructure. Earlier this year, New Delhi granted foreign cloud providers tax exemptions until 2047 on services sold abroad, provided those workloads are hosted in Indian data centers.
AirTrunk has already started preparations for its expansion in India. Earlier this week, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis posted on X that the state had exchanged a letter of intent for land allocation at the Raigad Pen Growth Center, where AirTrunk plans to build a 3GW data center with an investment of roughly ₹2 trillion (about $21 billion). The company currently has a development pipeline of approximately 600MW across Mumbai, Chennai, and Hyderabad.
AirTrunk declined to answer questions about whether the proposed Raigad project would constitute most of the planned 5GW capacity, or if it intends to pursue additional developments elsewhere in India.
The announcement came after a meeting between AirTrunk CEO Robin Khuda and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. In a post on X, Modi said the planned investment would help solidify India's role as a global center for cloud computing and artificial intelligence.
AirTrunk joins a lengthening roster of companies investing in infrastructure in India. Amazon, Google, Microsoft, OpenAI, and Uber have all announced significant investments in cloud and AI infrastructure, while Indian firms such as Reliance Industries, Adani Group, and TCS have outlined ambitious plans to boost data center capacity.
However, data centers consume enormous amounts of electricity, water, and land. Industry executives and analysts have flagged resource constraints, especially power availability, as a potential bottleneck.
Deloitte estimates that data center construction in the Asia Pacific region could require tens of terawatt-hours of additional electricity by the end of the decade.
Khuda said that AirTrunk's investment thesis is supported by government backing, a large pool of technical talent, and access to renewable energy.
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On Thursday, AirTrunk, a data center operator backed by Blackstone, announced plans to invest $30 billion in India by 2030, joining a growing number of technology and infrastructure firms committed to expanding computing capacity in the country.
The Australian firm stated it would build 5 gigawatts of new data center capacity in India, marking one of the biggest commitments to the country's digital infrastructure. AirTrunk first entered the Indian market earlier this year by acquiring Lumina CloudInfra.
AirTrunk's investment highlights India's increasing attractiveness as a hub for AI infrastructure, as technology companies and investors look for new regions to scale computing power. According to research firm Bernstein, India's data center capacity is expected to grow from roughly 1.5GW currently to as much as 8GW by 2030.
The Indian government has also implemented measures to draw investment into AI infrastructure. Earlier this year, New Delhi granted foreign cloud providers tax exemptions until 2047 on services sold abroad, provided those workloads are hosted in Indian data centers.
AirTrunk has already started preparations for its expansion in India. Earlier this week, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis posted on X that the state had exchanged a letter of intent for land allocation at the Raigad Pen Growth Center, where AirTrunk plans to build a 3GW data center with an investment of roughly ₹2 trillion (about $21 billion). The company currently has a development pipeline of approximately 600MW across Mumbai, Chennai, and Hyderabad.
AirTrunk declined to answer questions about whether the proposed Raigad project would constitute most of the planned 5GW capacity, or if it intends to pursue additional developments elsewhere in India.
The announcement came after a meeting between AirTrunk CEO Robin Khuda and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. In a post on X, Modi said the planned investment would help solidify India's role as a global center for cloud computing and artificial intelligence.
AirTrunk joins a lengthening roster of companies investing in infrastructure in India. Amazon, Google, Microsoft, OpenAI, and Uber have all announced significant investments in cloud and AI infrastructure, while Indian firms such as Reliance Industries, Adani Group, and TCS have outlined ambitious plans to boost data center capacity.
However, data centers consume enormous amounts of electricity, water, and land. Industry executives and analysts have flagged resource constraints, especially power availability, as a potential bottleneck.
Deloitte estimates that data center construction in the Asia Pacific region could require tens of terawatt-hours of additional electricity by the end of the decade.
Khuda said that AirTrunk's investment thesis is supported by government backing, a large pool of technical talent, and access to renewable energy.
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