India's data centre capacity set to grow 5x to 8GW by 2030: Jefferies
India’s data centre sector is gearing up for a tech-fueled growth spurt, aiming to multiply its capacity fivefold to 8GW by 2030 — talk about scaling at the speed of bytes! With cloud adoption, AI advancements, and data localisation mandates driving demand, India is positioning itself as a pivotal digital infrastructure hub, ready to fuel the country’s digital economy ambitions. But it’s not just about capacity; it’s about who leads the charge, with giants like Bharti Airtel, Reliance, and AdaniConneX expected to dominate the market by decade’s end.
According to a recent Jefferies report, this massive expansion will require an investment close to USD 30 billion and is expected to boost data centre leasing revenues to USD 8 billion by 2030. Currently, colocation data centres—where businesses lease infrastructure—have already seen a fivefold rise to 1.7GW with 97% occupancy, underscoring robust demand. Mumbai and Chennai remain the major hubs, hosting nearly 70% of the capacity, benefiting from proximity to undersea cable landing stations and financial sector clients. With increasing data traffic driven by AI technologies and regulatory pushes for data localisation, India’s data centre growth spells significant opportunities and challenges for infrastructure and energy sectors alike.
