Mukesh Ambani announces opening of data centre in Chennai next week by Reliance Industries-Brookfield.
Mukesh Ambani, a billionaire, announced on Sunday that his company Reliance Industries will be teaming up with Canada’s Brookfield to establish a data centre in Chennai. This move signifies their entrance into the rapidly expanding market.
Reliance had in July last year invested about ₹ 378 crore to set up an existing joint venture in which Brookfield Infrastructure and US-based real estate investment firm Digital Realty were already partners. The three each own 33 percent of the project.
Speaking at the Global Investors Meet in Tamil Nadu, Reliance Industries Ltd Chairman and CEO Ambani said his group will invest in renewable energy and green hydrogen and setting up a data center in the state.
“Reliance has partnered with Canada’s Brookfield Asset Management and US-based Digital Reality to set up a state-of-the-art data center that will open next week,” he said.
India’s data center market, which is expected to grow 40 percent a year and see $5 billion in investment by 2025, is being warmed by the entry of Reliance into rivals Gautam Adani’s Adani Group and Sunil Mittal’s Bharti Airtel Ltd in recent months.
India’s data center and computing capacity requirements are increasing due to increased localization of personal data, increased availability of digital services, and adoption of data-intensive technologies such as artificial intelligence, among other drivers.
The joint venture will launch a 20 megawatt greenfield data center in Chennai next week and has also acquired 2.15 acres of land in Mumbai to build another 40 megawatt data center.
Ambani said that Tamil Nadu has always been a land of rich cultural and spiritual heritage, under the leadership of Chief Minister M K Stalin, the state has become one of the most business-friendly states in the country.
“Therefore, I have every reason to believe that it will soon become a trillion-dollar economy, which is the apt slogan of this summit,” he said.
Reliance, he said, has contributed to Tamil Nadu’s growth over the years.
It opened nearly 1,300 retail stores across the state and invested over ₹25,000 crore. Jio, the group’s telecom arm, has invested over ₹35,000 crore in Tamil Nadu, bringing the fruits of the digital revolution to 35 million subscribers in every town and village of the state.
In December, Jio completed the fastest 5G rollout anywhere in the world, he said. “This will enable Tamil Nadu to benefit from AI and other breakthrough technologies of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, further accelerating its economy.”
Ambani said Reliance is committed to investing in renewable energy and green hydrogen in Tamil Nadu.
“We are working closely with the state government to promote sustainable development, which is essential to save Mother Earth from the climate crisis,” he said. “I am confident that the State Government will support our future Initiatives with workable policies.”
