AirTrunk seeks infrastructure conditions for USD 30 billion India expansion

The hyperscale operator plans over 5 GW of capacity in India but says power, renewable energy, and faster approvals will be critical to supporting future investment.

Australian hyperscale data centre operator AirTrunk plans to invest over USD 30 billion in India by 2030 as it looks to expand cloud and AI infrastructure capacity across multiple states and union territories.

Backed by Blackstone and Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPPIB), AirTrunk said its proposed investment programme would rank among the largest digital infrastructure initiatives currently being considered in India.

The company aims to develop over 5 GW of data centre capacity, building on the 600 MW pipeline it acquired from Lumina CloudInfra earlier this year.

However, AirTrunk's latest engagement with government leaders focused less on announcing new projects and more on the conditions required to support future investment.

During a visit to India, AirTrunk founder and chief executive Robin Khuda met state chief ministers and ministers in Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh to discuss the infrastructure, energy and policy requirements needed to support AI-driven growth.

The discussions focused on access to reliable and cost-effective power, renewable energy, sustainable water supply, talent development, streamlined approvals processes and greater coordination between state and federal governments.

The company said these factors will play a critical role in enabling the next phase of cloud and AI infrastructure investment in India.

The announcement comes less than two months after AirTrunk entered the Indian market through its acquisition of Lumina CloudInfra.

The acquisition gave the company an existing development pipeline across Mumbai, Chennai and Hyderabad.

Infrastructure requirements take centre stage

AirTrunk's proposed investment programme is one of the largest digital infrastructure plans currently being considered in India.

Yet throughout its announcement, the company described the initiative as a proposed investment programme and a proposed development pipeline, while emphasising the infrastructure requirements needed to support future growth.

Khuda said India is creating favourable conditions for technology investment through government-led AI initiatives, a large talent pool and access to renewable energy.

He said discussions with government leaders reinforced the company's confidence in India's long-term digital infrastructure opportunity.

The company believes India is well positioned to attract the next wave of cloud and AI infrastructure investments as organisations increase their adoption of AI technologies.

AirTrunk also pointed to initiatives such as Digital India, the IndiaAI Mission and the India Semiconductor Mission as examples of the country's long-term commitment to digital growth.

According to the company, countries that can provide the infrastructure needed to support large-scale AI deployments will be better placed to attract investment, innovation and high-value jobs.

The focus on power availability is particularly significant as AI workloads continue to increase data centre energy requirements.

Hyperscale operators globally are facing growing pressure to secure long-term power capacity and renewable energy sources to support expanding AI infrastructure deployments.

Beyond the existing footprint

One of the more notable aspects of AirTrunk's India engagement is its discussions with Andhra Pradesh. While Maharashtra forms part of the company's existing footprint through Mumbai, Andhra Pradesh does not currently feature in AirTrunk's disclosed India pipeline.

The company's inherited portfolio from Lumina CloudInfra is concentrated across Mumbai, Chennai and Hyderabad.

During the visit, Khuda met state government officials to discuss proposals for the Visakhapatnam AI Hub plan. The engagement points to potential expansion beyond the company's existing pipeline.

The company did not announce any new projects or locations during the visit. However, it said its proposed pipeline would span multiple states and union territories.

The expansion plans come as demand for hyperscale infrastructure continues to grow across India, driven by cloud adoption, data localisation requirements and AI workloads.

For the channel ecosystem, the significance of AirTrunk's announcement extends beyond the investment figure itself.

Large-scale data centre developments create demand across power systems, networking, connectivity, cooling infrastructure, security technologies and operational platforms.

Any expansion into new regions would also open opportunities for local infrastructure providers, system integrators and service partners supporting hyperscale deployments.

When AirTrunk acquired Lumina CloudInfra, CRN India raised the question for India's channel community: whether the hyperscale operator would build on the local SI and partner relationships Lumina had established across Mumbai, Chennai, and Hyderabad.

AirTrunk's $30 billion announcement does not address that question. For regional system integrators and solution providers, the omission is itself a signal about where the company's priorities currently sit.

AirTrunk's immediate India presence remains centred on the 600 MW pipeline acquired through Lumina CloudInfra.

The next phase of growth, however, will depend on how quickly the infrastructure, energy and policy conditions needed to support large-scale AI and cloud deployments take shape across the country.