Digital
Adani Enterprises plans $100 billion AI data centre push by 2035
Renewable-powered facilities plus $150 billion ripple effect to build $250 billion ecosystem.
MUMBAI: Adani Enterprises is plugging straight into the AI power grid and it’s bringing enough juice to light up a continent. On Tuesday, the ports-to-power conglomerate announced a staggering $100 billion investment to build renewable-energy-backed, AI-ready data centres across India by 2035, aiming to catapult the country from the sidelines into a serious contender in the global AI arena.
The plan doesn’t stop at bricks and servers. Adani estimates the move will spark an additional $150 billion in related industries, think server manufacturing, sovereign cloud platforms and more creating a $250 billion AI infrastructure ecosystem over the next decade. Shares of Adani Enterprises (ADEL.NS) responded with enthusiasm, closing 2.7 per cent higher and topping the Nifty 50 gainers list.
Adani Enterprises chairman Gautam Adani captured the ambition in a post on X, “For decades, we imported technology. Now we are building the backbone. India will not follow the AI century. India will shape it.”
The strategy hinges on a tightly integrated model: renewable power generation, grid resilience and massive computing capacity. Adani will scale its existing 2 GW data centre footprint to 5 GW, targeting what it calls the world’s largest integrated platform (timeline not specified). Alongside, $55 billion goes into expanding renewables, including one of the planet’s biggest battery energy storage systems.
The company already has skin in the game, a partnership with Google, which committed $15 billion over five years for AI data centres, its largest-ever India investment. Adani also plans to deepen ties with Walmart-backed Flipkart for a second AI facility and is in talks with other major players for large-scale campuses nationwide.
India’s sudden AI infrastructure gold rush isn’t happening in isolation. Global giants Google, Amazon, Meta and Microsoft are pouring money in, while home-grown heavyweights Reliance and TCS race to grab their slice. Data centres, the report notes, offer India its clearest shot at relevance in a chip-making world it has largely missed.
In a landscape where AI is the new electricity, Adani’s mega-bet is less about keeping the lights on and more about powering tomorrow’s digital empire, one renewable watt at a time. Whether the grid (and the stock market) can handle the load remains the real test.
Digital
Nembharat ride-booking app to launch with zero commissions
WEML unveils prepaid platform eliminating surge pricing, aims to stabilise driver earnings and fix fares for passengers.
MUMBAI: Ride-hailing in India is about to get a fare shake-up because when commissions vanish, the only thing surging might be driver smiles. World Economic Mobility Limited (WEML), governed by the Narayanihiti Trust, is gearing up to launch Nembharat, a new ride-booking app that scraps driver commissions and passenger surge pricing entirely. The prepaid, cashless platform promises drivers keep 100 per cent of their earnings while commuters enjoy fixed, predictable fares no dynamic pricing surprises.
The move lands amid ongoing tension in the sector: driver strikes over low take-home pay, passenger gripes about safety and erratic fares, and mounting regulatory scrutiny on platform accountability and gig-worker protections. Nembharat positions itself as a national transport network that integrates cabs, auto-rickshaws, and other modes under uniform safety standards aligned with Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) guidelines.
WEML director and CEO Deepak K. Shah said, “Our platform will address the lack of income predictability for gig workers. Nembharat is built to provide clear details on driver pay and passenger costs.”
WEML director and COO Kanchi Sharma added, “This system aligns with CCPA guidelines and acts as a tool to balance workforce standards with consumer protection.”
By removing the subscription and commission layer that dominates existing apps, WEML is betting on a leaner model that offers stability for fleet owners, individual drivers, and everyday riders alike. Whether it can scale across India’s chaotic roads and win over users tired of the status quo remains the real test but on paper, it’s aiming to turn every ride into a fair deal for both sides.
No launch date has been announced yet, but the promise is clear: in Nembharat’s world, the journey costs what it should nothing more, nothing less.
