In partnership with digital infrastructure company, Digital Realty Trust and Brookfield Asset Management, Reliance Industries has made inroads into the Indian data center industry with an investment of $122 million, and a maiden data center in Chennai, India. 

The data center is situated on a 10-acre campus and has the capacity to support up to 100 megawatts of IT load. The first phase of the facility, MAA10, boasts a 20MW capacity and is located in Chennai’s industrial and manufacturing hub. The three companies set up a joint venture named Digital Connexion, which delivered the project. The three companies each have a 33.3% stake in the special purpose vehicle.

India is anticipated to become the world’s third-largest economy by 2027, surpassing Japan and Germany. The ensuing increase in data generated from this growth is expected to drive a surge in demand for data center infrastructure across the country. Consequently, India is poised to become the 13th largest hosting market globally in the current decade.

CB Velayuthan, CEO of Digital Connexion, expressed excitement about the launch of the Chennai data center and emphasized the campus’s strategic advantages, including ample power supply, numerous submarine cable landing stations in the vicinity, and the state government’s ambition to position Chennai as a top data center destination in India. The 100MW campus in Ambattur is poised to become a preferred choice for customers, partners, and service providers seeking to expand their presence in India.

Serene Nah, Managing Director and Head of Asia Pacific at Digital Realty, highlighted the significant market opportunity in India, with its population of 1.4 billion and a growing emphasis on digital services delivery. The MAA10 data center, equipped with next-generation infrastructure, aligns with Digital Realty’s commitment to supporting customer innovation in the thriving Indian market.