New Delhi, May 27 (IANS): India has emerged as the second-largest data centre market in the Asia-Pacific region with 1.6 GW of operational capacity and is among the top three markets by development pipeline, with 3.1 GW under construction and planned, according to a new report by Cushman & Wakefield released on Wednesday. The country’s rapid rise is being driven by accelerating AI adoption, hyperscale cloud expansion and rising enterprise demand, which continue to reshape global data centre development patterns. India’s data centre ecosystem is supported by a multi-market presence, with Mumbai, Hyderabad, Chennai, Delhi-NCR, Pune and Bengaluru among the 107 global markets evaluated in the report. Mumbai anchors India’s position as a primary market in Asia Pacific, playing a central role in regional expansion and expected to surpass 1 GW of operational capacity by the end of 2026, while Hyderabad has been highlighted as the top secondary market in Asia Pacific and ninth globally, underscoring its growing prominence in the data centre landscape.
Growth is increasingly being supported by secondary markets such as Hyderabad, Chennai, Delhi-NCR and Pune, which are seeing rising levels of investment and development activity, while Bengaluru is positioned as a tertiary data centre market within the regional landscape. Gautam Saraf, Executive Managing Director at Cushman & Wakefield, noted that the global data centre sector is moving into a more execution-driven phase of growth, where access to power, infrastructure readiness and delivery capability are becoming as important as demand itself, adding that India is well positioned within this shift given its strong demand visibility, expanding development pipeline and growing multi-market ecosystem. Over 10.5 GW of capacity remains at the land stage, reflecting strong future development potential as operators continue to secure sites and prepare for sustained demand, further reinforcing India’s long-term expansion prospects in the global digital infrastructure landscape.