India's data‑centre boom

India is adding data-centre capacity at a pace that is turning cloud computing into a major infrastructure buildout, with India’s installed capacity reaching about 1.3 gigawatts in the first half of 2025. (cushmanwakefield.com) Cushman & Wakefield said India had 1.3 gigawatts of data-centre capacity in operation in the first half of 2025 and another 2.9 gigawatts in the pipeline by 2030. CBRE said 2024 alone added 191 megawatts of new information-technology capacity, taking operational capacity to 1,110 megawatts. (cushmanwakefield.com) (economictimes.indiatimes.com) The biggest customers are the biggest cloud companies. Amazon Web Services operates regions in Mumbai and Hyderabad, Microsoft said on January 7, 2025 that it would invest $3 billion in India over two years for cloud and artificial-intelligence infrastructure, and Google Cloud says it has cloud regions in Mumbai and Delhi National Capital Region. (aws.amazon.com) (news.microsoft.com) (cloud.google.com) Domestic groups are building alongside them. AdaniConneX says it aims to build a 1 gigawatt platform in India by 2030, and Reliance has been identified by industry coverage as one of the companies racing to add large data-centre capacity. (connect.adani.com) (dcpulse.com) A data centre is a warehouse for servers, the computers that store files, run apps and train artificial-intelligence models. More users on cloud software, video, payments and artificial intelligence mean more racks of chips, more land, more cooling equipment and much larger power connections. (cbre.com) (jll.com) That is pushing the business beyond Mumbai and Chennai into newer markets. CBRE said land acquisitions in 2024 crossed 200 acres in cities including Mumbai and Hyderabad, while recent industry reporting has pointed to new interest in Andhra Pradesh as operators search for cheaper land and power. (economictimes.indiatimes.com) (datacenterdynamics.com) The cost profile is unusually heavy. JLL estimated India’s data-centre industry would need about 10 million square feet during 2024-26 and about $5.7 billion of investment, while CBRE said cumulative commitments could exceed $180 billion in 2026. (jll.com) (msn.com) Power is the constraint that sits under every expansion plan. Data centres run around the clock, and operators need steady electricity for servers and cooling, which is why state policies in places such as Uttar Pradesh offer power-related incentives and fast-track approvals to attract projects. (uplc.up.gov.in) (community.nasscom.in) Policy is also part of the demand story. India’s Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 created a national privacy framework, and legal analysis published after draft rules were released on January 3, 2025 said companies were closely watching how cross-border data restrictions would be applied. (americanbar.org) (techpolicy.press) The next phase looks less like a real-estate cycle than a utilities build. India’s data-centre boom now depends on who can secure land, financing and electricity fast enough to keep up with cloud and artificial-intelligence demand. (cushmanwakefield.com) (cbre.co.in)