India’s data-centre race accelerates as Yotta, Nxtra, Sify and rivals scale AI capacity
India’s operational data-centre capacity, now about 2 GW, is projected to double by 2028 as Yotta, Airtel’s Nxtra, Sify, CtrlS and major conglomerates commit billions to AI-ready campuses. Power availability is emerging as the sector’s key constraint.
What happened
Yotta Data Services · India’s data-centre buildout is accelerating, led by Yotta, Sify, CtrlS and Airtel’s Nxtra alongside Reliance, Tata and Adani. Investments
Key facts
- Yotta plans to invest $2-2.5 billion in coming months and can scale to 2 GW
- India operational data-centre capacity is about 2 GW, projected to reach 4 GW by 2028
- India data-centre investments could exceed $250 billion over five years
- Sify operates 14 centres across six cities with 188 MW capacity and annualised revenue of Rs 5,000 crore
- Sify secured $371 million debt financing and plans about $5 billion investment
What changed
India’s data-centre buildout is accelerating, led by Yotta, Sify, CtrlS and Airtel’s Nxtra alongside Reliance, Tata and Adani. Investments target AI-ready capacity, but grid availability and power supply are emerging as key constraints.
Why this matters
Retail operators should secure AI and cloud capacity early, as India’s data-centre buildout will expand capability but power bottlenecks could limit availability and raise costs.
What to watch
- State-wise power-allocation commitments, transmission approvals and renewable PPAs for announced campuses.
- Actual commissioned MW versus announced capacity and construction timelines at Yotta, Nxtra, Sify and CtrlS.
- Grid curtailment, industrial tariff changes and diesel-generator restrictions in major data-centre hubs.
- AI GPU import availability, cloud-region launches and anchor-tenant leasing announcements.
- Large retailer announcements of domestic AI cloud partnerships, data-residency migrations or AI-led operating-cost targets.