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Jun 05, 2026
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AirTrunk to Invest $30B in 5GW AI Data Centers in India by 2030

AI Summary
AirTrunk, backed by Blackstone, commits $30 billion to develop 5GW of AI data center capacity in India by 2030, driven by government support, technical talent, and renewable energy access.

AirTrunk's Massive Investment in Indian Data Centers

Blackstone-backed data center operator AirTrunk has announced plans to invest $30 billion in India by 2030, adding to the growing wave of commitments from technology and infrastructure groups seeking to expand computing capacity in the country.

Developing 5GW of New Data Center Capacity

The Australian company will develop 5 gigawatts of new data center capacity in India, one of the largest commitments to the South Asian nation’s digital infrastructure sector. AirTrunk entered India earlier this year through the acquisition of Lumina CloudInfra.

The Growing Appeal of India for AI Infrastructure

AirTrunk’s commitment underlines India’s growing appeal as a destination for AI infrastructure, as tech companies and investors seek new geographies to expand computing capacity. Data center capacity in the country is projected to rise to as much as 8GW by 2030 from about 1.5GW today, according to research firm Bernstein.

Government Support and Investment Incentives

The Indian government has taken steps to attract investment in AI infrastructure, including offering foreign cloud providers tax exemptions through 2047 on services sold overseas if those workloads are run from Indian data centers.

Expansion Plans and Development Pipeline

  • AirTrunk has already begun laying the groundwork for its expansion in the country, with a letter of intent for land allotment at the Raigad Pen Growth Center in Maharashtra for a 3GW data center involving an investment of about ₹2 trillion (around $21 billion).
  • The company already has a development pipeline of about 600MW across Mumbai, Chennai, and Hyderabad.

Joining the Growing List of Investors

AirTrunk joins a growing list of companies investing in infrastructure in the country, including Amazon, Google, Microsoft, OpenAI, Uber, Reliance Industries, Adani Group, and TCS.

Challenges and Opportunities

However, data centers require vast amounts of electricity, water, and land, and industry executives and analysts have pointed to resource issues as a potential bottleneck, particularly regarding power. Deloitte estimates data center build-outs in the Asia Pacific region could require tens of terawatt-hours of additional electricity by the end of the decade.

Investment Thesis and Future Outlook

AirTrunk’s investment thesis is underpinned by government support, a large pool of technical talent, and access to renewable energy, according to CEO Robin Khuda.