Meta taps Reliance for first AI-enabled data centre in India

MUMBAI, India: Facebook-parent Meta and Indian conglomerate Reliance Industries on Wednesday announced a deal to develop an AI-enabled data centre in the state of Gujarat, as the US tech giant scales its digital footprint globally.

The project, to be built in Jamnagar district, comes as technology giants race to expand computing capacity needed to support generative AI services in the world’s fastest-growing major economy.

Reliance will develop a 168-megawatt data centre to be delivered within two years, while Meta will lease capacity from the facility, the companies said in a joint statement.

The financial details of the agreement were not disclosed.

Meta chief Mark Zuckerberg said it was “proud” to partner with Reliance on its “first AI-enabled data centre in India”.

“This world-class facility in Jamnagar will help us scale our AI infrastructure globally while deepening our long-term investment in India’s economy,” Zuckerberg said.

Reliance chairman Mukesh Ambani described the announcement as India’s “first built-to-suit data centre for a global technology leader of Meta’s scale”.

India, home to more than a billion internet users, has seen a wave of investment announcements from global and domestic firms seeking to tap rising demand for cloud computing, artificial intelligence and data storage.

Google and Amazon have expanded their cloud infrastructure footprint in the country, while Indian conglomerates including Adani Group and Reliance have unveiled large-scale data centre plans.

Last week, Australian data centre operator AirTrunk said it would invest US$30 billion in India by 2030 to develop five gigawatts of data centre capacity.

Reliance is India’s biggest privately held conglomerate and its Jamnagar refinery is billed as the world’s largest.

Jamnagar is also home to what Reliance says is “one of the world’s largest wildlife rescue, care and conservation centres”.

-AFP