India’s data centre operational capacity is projected to more than double to 2,000-2,100 MW by FY27 from 950 MW in FY24, involving an investment in the range of Rs 50,000-Rs 55,000 crore, a report said on Tuesday.
The data centre capacity in India is dominated by a few players like NTT Global Data Centers, STT Global Data Centers, CtrlS Datacenters, Sify Technologies and Nxtra Data Limited, which had a share of 85 per cent in the operational capacity (as of March 2024).
However, considering the strong demand for data centres in the country, many new developers like Yotta, Digital Connexion, Lumina CloudInfra, CapitaLand, Digital Edge, etc., have entered the industry with massive investments, said the report by credit rating ICRA.
“The low data tariff plans, access to affordable smartphones, adoption of new technologies and growing user base of social media, e-commerce, gaming and OTT platforms are some of the key triggers for data explosion,” said Anupama Reddy, VP and Co-Group Head-Corporate Ratings, ICRA.
Also, artificial intelligence (AI)-led demand, which is expected to increase multi-fold in the next 3-5 years, presents significant opportunities.
“This, coupled with favourable regulatory policies from the central and state governments, the draft Digital Personal Data Protection Bill, and the infrastructure status are supporting the DC growth prospects,” Reddy added.
Co-location services, backed by hyperscalers, contribute to the majority (80-85 per cent) of the DC revenues in the country.
Around 95 per cent of the existing capacity is in six cities in India, with Mumbai and Chennai leading the race due to their inherent advantage in the form of the dense wet cable ecosystem, which offers best latencies (amount of time it takes for a data to travel from one place to another).
According to the report, given the ESG considerations for most of the key tenants, DC players are also expected to invest in green power to meet their power requirements.
Green power, as a percentage of total power consumption, is around 75 per cent for the top three global DC operators.
“However, as a percentage of total power consumption, it is currently below 5 per cent for Indian DC players, though this is projected to increase to 20-25 per cent by 2028,” said the report.
Drugs valued at Rs 71 crore seized in Assam; 2 held
Heroin and highly addictive methamphetamine tablets, valued at Rs 71 crore, were seized during two separate operations in Assam's Kamrup district on Friday, officials said.
One held with cannabis worth Rs 15 Lakh in Sonamura
In a major breakthrough in Tripura Police’s ongoing crackdown on narcotics, a joint team led by Sonamura Police Station seized 325 kilograms of dried cannabis (ganja) from a house in Ananda Nagar village under Sepahijala district’s Sonamura Sub-division
BJP MP launches attack on Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi over National Herald case
The BJP Yuva Morcha staged a protest against Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi, accused in the National Herald case, in Agartala on Friday.
Two Bangladeshi women held at Agartala Railway Station
In a coordinated operation carried out on Thursday late night, two Bangladeshi women were arrested from Agartala Railway Station for illegally entering Indian Territory with the alleged intention of travelling to Mumbai via Kolkata.
2 minors among 315 arrested so far in connection with Murshidabad violence: Bengal Police report
A total of 315 arrests have been made so far in connection with the communal violence in Murshidabad district of West Bengal over protests against the Waqf (Amendment) Act last week, including two minors, confirmed the West Bengal Police in its report,
No plan to levy GST on UPI transactions over Rs 2,000: Govt
The Finance Ministry on Friday made it clear that the government is not considering any proposal to levy Goods and Services Tax (GST) on UPI transactions over Rs 2,000.
Tripura CM discusses state govt's key plans with HM Shah, JP Nadda
Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha on Friday in separate meetings in New Delhi discussed important development plans of the state government with Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Health and Family Welfare Minister J.P. Nadda.
HM Amit Shah's 2026 deadline in sight as Sukma panchayat declared Maoist-free
This signalled a breakthrough in the government’s counter-insurgency and rehabilitation strategy. The mass surrender not only reflects a weakening of Maoist influence but also reaffirms HM Shah’s ambitious deadline as increasingly within reach.