- India’s Data Centre Push Gains Momentum Amid Global AI Policy Shifts

(TCS) is in discussions with Amazon Web Services (AWS) and OpenAI to onboard them as anchor customers for its upcoming Navi Mumbai data centre, being developed in partnership with private equity firm TPG. The facility, with a planned capacity of 120 MW, is expected to go live in 18 months and will be the first project under the HyperVault platform. The venture underscores India’s growing role in global AI infrastructure, as demand for compute-heavy workloads accelerates and policy risks emerge in the US. Navi Mumbai Project - Capacity: 120 MW, operational in ~18 months. - Joint venture with TPG, which is investing up to $1 billion for a minority stake. - Focus: hyperscalers and AI-led firms requiring high-density computing. HyperVault Platform Strategy - Announced in November, aimed at building gigawatt-scale AI-ready infrastructure. - Investment commitment: ₹18,000 crore (equity + debt). - TPG’s share: up to ₹8,820 crore, translating into 27.5–49% stake; TCS retains majority control. Multi-Location Expansion - TCS scouting sites in Telangana, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu. - Criteria: power availability, connectivity, land access, proximity to demand centres. - Goal: build a multi-location footprint to support future capacity expansion. Industry Context - India’s current data centre capacity: ~1.5 GW, projected to exceed 10 GW by 2030. - Since 2019, sector has attracted $94 billion in investments. - Growth drivers: cloud adoption, AI workloads, data localisation rules. Global Policy and Strategic Implications - US policymakers raising concerns over AI data centres’ electricity footprint. - Potential policy action could shift workloads abroad, making India attractive. - India offers lower power costs, improving land access, and supportive state policies. - With India accounting for ~544 million ChatGPT visits in Aug 2025 (9% of global traffic), demand for local infrastructure is surging.