Data Centre Sector Require $3.7 billion Investment by 2023

India’s data centre sector will require investment of $3.7 billion over the next three years in order to fulfil the 6 million sq. ft greenfield development opportunity for the industry, a JLL report titled ‘2020 India Data Centre Market Update’ stated.

BY Realty Plus
Published - Thursday, 20 May, 2021

Data Centre Sector Require $3.7 billion Investment by 2023

India’s data centre sector will require investment of $3.7 billion over the next three years in order to fulfil the 6 million sq. ft greenfield development opportunity for the industry, a JLL report titled ‘2020 India Data Centre Market Update’ stated. “India’s colocation data centre industry witnessed unprecedented absorption of 102 MW during 2020, notching higher absorption than most key markets of Europe and America. Fuelled by longer-term trends of rising cloud adoption, increasing digitalisation and progressive legislation, we anticipate increased demand for colocation space nationwide. Rising demand led data centre operators and developers to pursue ambitious expansion plans, while some adopted the acquisition route to enter Indian markets, which we expect to continue.” said Rachit Mohan, Head, Data Centre Advisory (India), JLL. As the data centre landscape continues to evolve, the industry is expected to grow exponentially to reach 1,007 MW by 2023 from its existing capacity of 447 MW. With growing reliance on digital connectivity, demand is likely to ramp up further due to the imminent rollout of 5G rollout, IoT-linked devices, data localisation and cloud adoption. Mumbai and Chennai are expected to drive 73% of the sector’s total capacity addition during 2021-23, while other cities like Hyderabad and Delhi NCR emerging as new hotspots. Robust expansion by global cloud players in the established markets of Mumbai and Pune continues owing to prevailing infrastructure, while new markets like Hyderabad are gaining momentum in this space. The increasing usage of e-commerce, EdTech and digital transactions placed the existing IT infrastructure of enterprises under pressure. Overall data usage increased by 36% in 2020 due to increased usage of smartphones and fixed wireless access as per Nokia Mobile Broadband India Traffic Index 2021. Enterprises have been upgrading their IT infrastructure by adopting hybrid models, given their budget constraints. Technology trends like 5G rollout, IoT-linked devices and AI will also result in stronger growth in demand. According to JLL, the rapid growth of the data centre industry has led to increasing energy consumption and environmental impact. Increasingly, global cloud players setting up bases in India aim to reduce their carbon footprint and are looking at data centres that provide sustainable energy alternatives and are entering renewable energy power contracts. India’s renewable energy capacity at 90 gigawatts accounts for 25% share of the installed power capacity and provides tremendous scope for development of green data centres.