India has emerged as one of the leading contenders in the race for AI data centres that will power the next generation of computing, with global technology giants including Google, Microsoft and Amazon — alongside major domestic conglomerates — committing billions of dollars to set up AI-ready data centre infrastructure in the country, according to an article in The Citizen.
It highlights that much of this investment is concentrated in coastal cities such as Mumbai and Chennai, whose proximity to undersea cable networks makes them ideal locations for hyperscale data centres. Similarly, among the growing hubs is Visakhapatnam on the country’s eastern coast in Andhra Pradesh.
These facilities require vast amounts of electricity and water to cool specialised, heat-intensive computing hardware. They also depend on robust power grids, high-capacity fibre-optic connectivity and increasing access to renewable energy.
Among the growing hubs is Visakhapatnam (Vizag), the economic powerhouse of the southern coastal state of Andhra Pradesh. Google has committed $15 billion to the region, while the Adani Group has also announced plans to invest $100 billion in building a 5GW AI platform by 2035. Inland technology centres such as Hyderabad and Pune are rapidly expanding their cloud computing and AI infrastructure, broadening India’s digital footprint beyond its coastline, the article further states.
The government’s supportive policy framework is playing a key role to incentivise these projects with concessional long-term financing for developers and generous tax incentives, including tax holidays until 2047 for companies investing in green AI infrastructure. Having attracted unprecedented investment in hyperscale AI projects, India’s operational data centre capacity is projected to surge to about 6.5GW by the end of the decade.
With massive investment, supportive government policy and a rapidly expanding digital ecosystem, the country is well on course to establish itself as one of the world’s leading AI powers-ranking behind only the US and China in global AI competitiveness, the article observes. ( IANS)
NASSCOM bats for AI-driven transformation of education system
Artificial Intelligence (AI) must become an integral part of India’s education system and find applications across sectors beyond information technology if the country is to emerge as a global leader in the field, NASSCOM President Rajesh Nambiar said here on Thursday.
Highlighting NASSCOM’s role in shaping India’s AI ecosystem, Nambiar said the industry body is working closely with the University Grants Commission (UGC) and other national education agencies to transform academic curricula by integrating AI.
“We are working with several agencies to ensure that the latest developments in AI are incorporated into the curriculum across levels,” he said, stressing that preparing students for an AI-driven future has become a priority. Nambiar revealed that he had recently met Kerala Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan to discuss a wide range of issues related to information technology and artificial intelligence.
Describing Kerala as a state with abundant talent, he said both the state and the Centre have distinct yet complementary roles in advancing India’s AI ambitions. “Policies have to be in place, and it is encouraging that Kerala has made AI a separate cabinet portfolio,” he said, adding that governments, academia and industry must work together to build a strong AI ecosystem. Observing that AI is reshaping economies and societies across the world, Nambiar said the technology presents both uncertainty and unprecedented opportunities. At the same time, he noted, AI has increasingly become a strategic tool capable of influencing geopolitical power and global competitiveness. “AI should not be limited to the IT sector alone,” he said, arguing that the technology must be adopted across industries, governance, healthcare, education and manufacturing to unlock its full potential.
(IANS)
One of the speakers at the event said successive governments in Kerala have consistently introduced progressive IT policies that have strengthened the state’s technology ecosystem. They said that internships should be made mandatory for students as stronger industry-academia linkages are essential to create a workforce equipped for the rapidly evolving AI era.