Reliance and Meta to Develop AI-focused 168 MW Data Centre in Gujarat

Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) on Wednesday announced plans to develop a data center in partnership with Meta in Jamnagar, Gujarat. The company said that the data centre with a capacity of 169MW will be delivered within two years with an option to scale.

It’s worth noting that this is the first built-to-suit data centre capacity in India for Meta. As per the partnership, Meta will lease capacity from the facility and will serve Meta’s global infrastructure, supporting its core business and AI compute needs.

RIL will provide end-to-end services spanning the entire lifecycle of the data centre, including design and construction, ongoing management of utilities, renewable power supply, network connectivity, and fully managed operational services.

RIL says the setup positions the company as a single-window solutions provider for hyperscale AI infrastructure in India. 

The company also noted that the location offers significant advantages for large-scale data centre operations, including delivery capability, renewable energy, water availability, proximity to India’s western submarine cable landing stations and Jio’s extensive fibre network.

Moreover, the data center will be powered by renewable energy and cooled with desalinated seawater.

“This partnership with Meta marks a transformative moment for India’s digital infrastructure. Building India’s first built-to-suit data centre for a global technology leader of Meta’s scale demonstrates India’s readiness to be at the forefront of the global AI revolution. At Reliance, we are committed to building world-class digital infrastructure that will power the next generation of AI innovation – not just for India, but for the world. Jamnagar will become a

landmark destination for hyperscale AI computing, and we are proud to partner with Meta to make this vision a reality,” Mukesh D. Ambani, Chairman and Managing Director, Reliance Industries Limited said in a statement. 

The tie up on data centres and AI marks a new milestone in the Reliance and Meta association. Back in 2020, the Facebook-parent had invested USD 5.7 billion (INR 43,574 crore approximately) in Jio Platforms. The collaboration has also resulted in the integration of WhatsApp and JioMart, setting up of a USD 100 million joint venture, and various other initiatives.

The partnership comes amid India’s efforts to become one of the largest AI hubs with data centres being one of the primary focus areas. 

According to a KPMG report, the total installed power of India’s data centers will go past 2GW by 2026 from a current level of over 1GW. It is predicted that the data center capacity will grow fivefold by 2030 to over 8GW, generating over USD 30 billion in capital expenditures

Earlier this year, the Indian government announced a tax holiday extending up to 2047 for a foreign company providing cloud services globally, while utilizing data centre services located in India. 

Apart from Meta, several large entities are also working with local players to set up data centres in India. Last month, Uber said it is setting up its first data centre in India in partnership with the Adani Group. 

The partnership aligns with Adani Group’s broader push into digital infrastructure through AdaniConneX, its data centre venture, which has been expanding across several Indian cities, including a major campus in Visakhapatnam.

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Other notable moves in the space include Airtel’s USD 1 billion investment in its data center subsidiary, Nxtra Data Limited, led by global investors Alpha Wave Global, Carlyle, and Anchorage Capital. 

The investment is aimed at accelerating Nxtra’s expansion across India and strengthening its capabilities in artificial intelligence (AI)-driven data center operations. Nxtra plans to use the funds to scale infrastructure, enhance service offerings, and meet the growing demand from enterprises, hyperscalers, and government organisations.

Last year, Techno Digital, the data centre arm of BSE-listed Techno Electric and Engineering Company Ltd., said it aimed to invest close to USD 1 billion to expand its total data centre capacity to up to 250 MW by 2030-32. This will be a combination of large-scale and edge data centres.