BAM Digital Realty constructs first greenfield data center in India

The data center industry in India is seeing increased expansion as more organizations look to build their infrastructure in the subcontinent. India already has 138 data centers worth US$5.6 billion. This includes India’s first hyperscale data center, Yotta D1, which was unveiled in October 2022, spanning 300,000 sqft and has seven floors with a capability of 28.8 megawatts (MW).

Big tech companies like Microsoft and AWS have also invested in data centers in India. Microsoft already has three with a fourth one expected to be launched in Hyderabad by 2025. AWS opened its second data center in November last year and also plans to invest up to US$4.4 billion by 2030.

According to a report by Cushman and Wakefield, Mumbai and Hyderabad are becoming key growth markets for data centers in India. In fact, the report states that Hyderabad is seeing increasing interest by data center operators among smaller, emergent data center markets.

The Indian federal government and several state governments are also continuing to advocate data center investments in the country. For example, in Chennai, the Tamil Nadu government plans to nurture the growth of knowledge-based industries to achieve US$1 trillion gross state domestic product (GDSP) and $300 billion in export revenue by 2030. The resultant scale and quantum of data generated from the growth of a wide range of industries are expected to drive a demand surge for data center infrastructure in the city.

As such, BAM Digital Realty, a joint venture between Digital Realty and Brookfield Infrastructure, has also begun the construction of its first data center facility in India. Scheduled to open later this year, the facility is part of a 10-acre campus that is designed for a maximum capacity of 100MW upon full buildout and is located in Ambattur Industrial Estate, an important industrial and manufacturing hub located close to Chennai’s city center, airport, and other major services. The first phase, MAA10, will offer 20MW critical capacity to support the growing demand for digital infrastructure in India.

Features of BAM Digital Realty’s first data center campus in Chennai also include a full range of data center solutions, from a single cabinet to multi-megawatt, with access to PlatformDIGITAL which enables connectivity to a rich data community of over 4,000 participants in 50+ metros across 27 countries on six continents.

The 10-acre site in Ambattur is ideal for BAM Digital Realty’s first data center development in India, given the availability of the necessary power supply, the high number of submarine cable landing stations in the local area, and the state government’s aspirations to make Chennai the top data center destination in India. The new data center is expected to meet industry-leading global sustainability standards that leverage Brookfield Renewable’s expertise to deliver access to green power and reduce the impact on the environment.

“Our campus in Chennai is the beginning of our journey in India. We are committed to supporting the burgeoning digital ecosystem of the country with our state-of-the-art facility and Digital Realty’s global standards of excellence in service through world-class infrastructure, cutting-edge solutions, and proven experience of operating 300+ data centers globally. Our decision to start with Chennai is driven by the continuing rapid growth in the Indian data center industry supporting the massive digital transformation that the country is experiencing. The promise of Chennai emerging as a new data center hub is well supported by progressive policy impetus at both the central and state governments,” commented Seema Ambastha, Chief Executive Officer, BAM Digital Realty.

For Arpit Agrawal, Managing Director, Head of Infrastructure, India & Middle East, Brookfield Infrastructure Group, the launch of its first data center marks the start of the journey to support the Digital India vision of the Indian government aimed at data inclusivity for all.

Meanwhile, Serene Nah, Managing Director and Head of Asia Pacific, Digital Realty said, “the Indian government’s extensive push to make India a hub for global data to support new technologies like artificial intelligence, machine learning and analytics will only continue to accelerate the digital transformation of Indian enterprises. As a global data center leader, we aim to provide India with true carrier-neutral data center solutions to meet growing demand.”

---

---

---