Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal chaired a CEO roundtable in New Delhi focused on scaling India's data centre ecosystem, telling industry leaders the sector could draw around $200 billion in investment on the back of the country's rapidly growing digital economy and AI build-out.
The roundtable, held at Vanijya Bhawan, brought together roughly 46 data centre companies and representatives from seven state governments, including Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Telangana and Uttar Pradesh. Goyal described India as the world's best location for data centres and said the government is committed to improving ease of doing business for the sector.
Several participants told the minister that his $200 billion figure may actually underestimate the opportunity, with some stakeholders pointing to a broader potential of $700 to $800 billion.
Discussions at the roundtable centred on removing practical bottlenecks ; specifically around power, land, regulatory approvals and fiscal issues that have slowed infrastructure deployment. Industry representatives said a number of concerns were resolved during the meeting itself, while subcommittees have been formed to work through issues requiring further discussion.
The government also flagged that India's National Building Code 2026 now formally recognises data centres as a distinct category, with dedicated rules covering fire safety and performance standards.
Microsoft India and South Asia COO Himani Agrawal highlighted the company's four operating regions in India, including a newly AI-ready facility in Hyderabad, as an indicator of how the country is positioning itself in the global AI infrastructure race. Goyal also referenced interest shown by Japanese businesses in partnering with India across semiconductors, AI and data centre sectors.
Goyal linked the sector's growth to India's broader target of becoming a $30 trillion economy by 2047, alongside advances in semiconductors, AI and manufacturing.
