Meta to lease first India AI data center from Reliance

Meta Platforms will lease a 168-megawatt AI-enabled data center being developed by Reliance Industries in Jamnagar, Gujarat, marking the Facebook parent’s first built-to-suit AI data center capacity in India.

Reliance will build the facility within two years, with an option to expand capacity, Meta said on Wednesday. The data center will support Meta’s products and artificial intelligence services as the company expands infrastructure in one of its largest markets.

“We’re proud to be working with Reliance to build our first AI-enabled data center in India,” Meta Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg said.

Meta said the site will be powered by renewable energy and cooled using desalinated seawater. Reliance will provide design, construction, utility management, renewable power, network connectivity and managed services. Meta will bear the full cost of the energy and water used by the facility.

The deal deepens a partnership that began with Meta’s $5.7 billion investment in Jio Platforms in 2020. The companies have since worked together on connectivity, digital commerce and AI initiatives.

“This partnership with Meta marks a transformative moment for India’s digital infrastructure,” Reliance Chairman Mukesh Ambani said.

Separately, Meta said it has contracted nearly 1 gigawatt of renewable energy capacity in India. The agreements include 837 MW of solar and wind projects with CleanMax across Rajasthan and Karnataka, and 88 MW with Fourth Partner Energy across Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh.

Reliance shares rose 2.1% in early trade on Wednesday after the announcement, helping lift Indian benchmarks, Reuters reported.