Top 10 Companies Driving India's $30 Billion Data Centre Industry
India's data centre industry is experiencing rapid growth, driven by cloud adoption, AI, and 5G. Here are the top 10 companies leading the charge, including Adani Enterprises, Bharti Airtel, and Tata Communications.
Real Estate:India’s digital infrastructure is on the verge of a historic upgrade. Cloud adoption, AI workloads, and data localization mandates are surging, and the country’s data centre capacity is expected to expand fivefold to nearly 8 GW by 2030, attracting $30 billion in investments.
Over the past five years, India’s data consumption has grown more than 30,000%. This growth is driven by streaming, e-commerce, fintech, AI, and the 5G rollout. Every click, cloud migration, or enterprise workload needs a place to live, fueling a new industrial revolution: the Data Centre Boom. The ecosystem includes telecom, power, and infrastructure.
Key Drivers of the Data Centre Boom
- AI and Cloud Computing : Large-scale computing and generative AI workloads require high-density data centres. - Data Localization : RBI and MeitY mandates are pushing global firms to store data within India. - 5G and IoT Expansion : Massive data creation at the edge demands distributed data centre networks. - Green Energy Integration : As sustainability becomes a core KPI, new builds are focused on renewable-powered operations.
A. Operators
1. Adani Enterprises Adani Enterprises, through a joint venture with EdgeConneX, is building one of India’s largest data centre networks with a planned 1 GW capacity across Chennai, Hyderabad, and Navi Mumbai. Leveraging its expertise in energy and logistics, the company aims to integrate renewable power and edge connectivity.
2. Bharti Airtel (Nxtra) Bharti Airtel’s subsidiary, Nxtra Data, already operates 12 large and 120 edge data centres across India. Backed by a 25% stake from Carlyle Group, Nxtra is expanding to add 400 MW of capacity by 2027. Nxtra is capturing India’s hybrid cloud demand with its cloud clients and 5G backbone.
3. Tata Communications Tata Communications has decades of experience in network infrastructure. It connects over 600 data centres worldwide and provides inter-DC connectivity for enterprises. Its IZO cloud connect and hybrid cloud services are critical enablers for multinationals operating in India.
4. Reliance Industries Reliance Industries plans to build edge and hyperscale facilities across Navi Mumbai, Chennai, and Hyderabad to support its 5G, cloud, and enterprise ecosystem. Backed by massive telecom infrastructure and energy integration, Reliance aims to be a pan-India digital infrastructure leader. Reliance is expanding aggressively into the data centre space through Jio Data Centers in partnership with Microsoft Azure.
5. Yotta Infrastructure Yotta Infrastructure is targeting over 500 MW capacity by 2028. Yotta combines real estate expertise with hyperscale operations, offering colocation, cloud, and managed services. Yotta is a part of the Hiranandani Group and operates some of India’s largest Tier IV certified data centres, including the NM1 facility in Navi Mumbai and expanding campuses in Chennai and Greater Noida.
6. STT GDC India A joint venture between ST Telemedia Global Data Centres and Tata Communications, STT GDC India is one of the country’s largest colocation providers with 20+ facilities across 9 cities. The company is adding over 200 MW of capacity to meet enterprise and cloud demand. Known for reliability and scale, it serves major hyperscalers and global cloud players.
7. NTT Global Data Centres & Cloud Infrastructure India Japanese conglomerate NTT operates one of India’s most extensive data centre networks, with 15 facilities across Mumbai, Chennai, Noida, and Bengaluru. It is investing over $2 billion to double capacity by 2026. NTT combines global best practices with local execution, focusing on enterprise-grade colocation, hybrid cloud, and sustainability-led operations.
B. Enablers
8. Larsen & Toubro (L&T) L&T is one of the biggest beneficiaries of the ongoing capex wave. The company’s EPC division is executing turnkey data centre campuses, providing design, civil, MEP, and cooling integration.
9. ABB India Data centres are power-hungry, high-precision facilities. ABB India supplies transformers, switchgear, UPS systems, and automation controls that ensure uptime and energy efficiency. ABB’s AI-driven smart energy management systems are becoming integral to data centre design.
10. Anant Raj Limited Anant Raj Limited is a key player in the data centre infrastructure space, providing precision engineering solutions. The company’s products and services are essential for the construction and maintenance of data centres, ensuring they meet the highest standards of performance and reliability.
Conclusion India’s data centre industry is poised for significant growth, driven by a confluence of technological advancements and regulatory mandates. These top 10 companies are at the forefront of this revolution, setting the stage for a robust and sustainable digital future.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is driving the growth of India's data centre industry?
The growth is driven by cloud adoption, AI workloads, data localization mandates, 5G rollout, and the expansion of IoT.
Which companies are leading the data centre expansion in India?
Adani Enterprises, Bharti Airtel, Tata Communications, Reliance Industries, Yotta Infrastructure, STT GDC India, NTT Global Data Centres, Larsen & Toubro, ABB India, and Anant Raj Limited are leading the expansion.
What role does data localization play in the data centre industry?
Data localization mandates by RBI and MeitY are pushing global firms to store data within India, driving the need for more data centres.
How are sustainability and renewable energy integrated into data centres?
New data centres are focusing on renewable-powered operations to meet sustainability goals, with companies like Adani and Reliance integrating green energy solutions.
What are the key services offered by data centre operators in India?
Key services include colocation, cloud computing, managed services, hybrid cloud, and edge computing, catering to the diverse needs of enterprises and hyperscalers.