Meta is making its first major AI infrastructure investment in India, partnering with Reliance Industries on a 168-megawatt data center in Jamnagar, Gujarat. The deal, announced on Wednesday, marks a significant expansion of the companies’ relationship beyond Meta’s previous $5.7 billion investment in Jio Platforms.
The partnership comes as tech giants scramble to secure computing power for AI training and deployment. India has emerged as a key destination for these investments, with companies including Microsoft, Amazon, Google, OpenAI, and Uber all announcing AI infrastructure projects in the country recently.
Meta’s deal with Reliance builds on their existing collaboration, which includes a $100 million joint venture launched last year to develop enterprise AI solutions for customers in India and overseas markets. The new data center will be powered by renewable energy and cooled using desalinated seawater, with Meta covering the entire cost of energy and water for its operations.
India’s data center capacity has exploded in recent years, growing from about 375 megawatts in 2020 to around 1.5 gigawatts in 2025, according to government data. Industry projections suggest this could reach over 8 gigawatts by 2030, driven by cloud adoption and AI workloads.
The Indian government has actively courted these investments through policy incentives. Foreign cloud providers can receive tax exemptions through 2047 on services sold overseas, provided the workloads run from Indian data centers. This has helped position India as an attractive alternative to traditional data center hubs.
Major infrastructure investments are flowing into the country beyond just tech companies:
- Blackstone-backed AirTrunk plans to invest $30 billion for 5 gigawatts of capacity by 2030
- Indian conglomerates Adani and Tata Consultancy Services have announced major data center expansions
- Multiple international players are establishing significant footprints to serve both local and global markets
Reliance will handle end-to-end services for the facility, including design, construction, renewable power, connectivity, and ongoing operations. This positions the conglomerate as a comprehensive AI infrastructure provider for global technology companies. The 168-megawatt facility will be ready within two years and can be expanded over time.
The data center will support Meta’s global infrastructure and AI computing requirements, directly connecting India to the company’s worldwide network of AI facilities. This integration reflects how India is becoming not just a market for AI services, but a critical component of global AI infrastructure.
Meta has also contracted nearly 1 gigawatt of new renewable energy capacity in India through agreements with CleanMax and Fourth Partner Energy. This will supplement the renewable power supporting the Jamnagar facility and demonstrates Meta’s commitment to sustainable AI infrastructure.
The companies did not disclose the financial value of the agreement or specify what types of AI workloads will run from the facility. They also haven’t indicated whether Meta plans additional AI infrastructure investments in India, though the success of this partnership could signal further expansion.
