India Emerges as Global Magnet for $90 Billion AI, Data Centre Investments

India's ambition to emerge as a global AI and data centre powerhouse has received a major boost, with multinational corporations and institutional investors announcing more than USD 90 billion in fresh investment commitments over recent months. The investments, spanning artificial intelligence, cloud computing, hyperscale data centres, manufacturing and industrial technology , reflect growing confidence in India's long-term economic prospects despite geopolitical tensions and global economic uncertainty.

The biggest announcement came on Thursday when Amazon CEO Andy Jassy , after meeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi , raised the company's total investment commitment in India to USD 48 billion by 2030 . The investment will strengthen Amazon Web Services (AWS), AI capabilities and cloud infrastructure , reinforcing India's role in the global digital economy.

Earlier this year, Google unveiled a USD 15 billion five-year plan to expand AI infrastructure, cloud capacity, subsea connectivity and digital skilling. Australia's AirTrunk committed USD 30 billion to build 5 GW of hyperscale data centre capacity by 2030, while ABB announced a USD 75 million investment to expand manufacturing and research operations. CPP Investments , along with CtrlS Datacenters , pledged ₹7,000 crore for hyperscale facilities, and Saint-Gobain committed an additional €1 billion over five years to expand its India operations.

The investment wave aligns with the government's vision of making India a global hub for AI, cloud computing and digital infrastructure . With over 1.4 billion people , one of the world's largest internet user bases and rapidly growing digital services, India is generating enormous volumes of data that increasingly need to be stored and processed domestically. The government also views local data centres as crucial for data sovereignty , cybersecurity, lower latency and supporting the Digital India and IndiaAI Mission initiatives.

Industry experts say data centres are becoming the digital equivalent of highways and power plants, providing the computing backbone for AI, digital payments, e-commerce, healthcare, governance and financial services. Global companies are also shifting investments under the "China+1" strategy , making India an attractive destination for long-term technology infrastructure.

However, the rapid expansion has drawn criticism over high electricity consumption, water usage, land acquisition and environmental sustainability . Experts argue that India's AI ambitions must be supported by renewable energy, efficient cooling technologies and responsible resource management. Even so, the latest commitments underline that global boardrooms increasingly see India not only as a manufacturing base but as a strategic digital infrastructure hub for the AI-driven economy of the future.