Meta and Reliance announce major AI data centre project in India

JAMNAGAR: Meta and Reliance Industries are deepening their long-running partnership with a major new push into artificial intelligence infrastructure in India, centred on a large-scale data centre in Gujarat’s Jamnagar.

The companies have announced an agreement for an AI-enabled data centre that will be built by Reliance Industries and leased by Meta, marking what they describe as a key step in scaling global AI capabilities closer to fast-growing digital markets.

The facility, located in Jamnagar, will begin with an initial capacity of 168 megawatts and can be expanded further. It is designed to support advanced AI infrastructure and is expected to play a central role in Meta’s wider global compute expansion strategy.

According to the announcement, the project underscores Meta’s focus on bringing infrastructure closer to users in major digital markets, while strengthening long-term investment in India’s technology ecosystem.

The partnership builds on earlier collaboration between the two companies, including Meta’s 2020 investment in Jio Platforms and subsequent work on open-source AI tools for Indian developers and enterprises.

Reliance has said the Jamnagar project represents a significant milestone in India’s digital infrastructure development. The company noted that it is building one of the world’s largest data centre campuses in the region, supported by access to large-scale energy resources and sustainability-linked design.

In a statement, Mukesh Ambani said the collaboration highlights India’s readiness to play a central role in the global artificial intelligence landscape, adding that the facility reflects a commitment to building infrastructure not only for India but for global AI innovation.

The data centre will also be powered by renewable energy and use desalinated seawater for cooling. Meta will bear the full cost of energy and water consumption linked to the facility.

Separately, Meta has announced new clean energy agreements in India totalling nearly one gigawatt. This includes 837 megawatts of solar and wind capacity from CleanMax across Rajasthan and Karnataka, as well as 88 megawatts from Fourth Partner Energy across multiple states including Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh.

These agreements are aimed at supporting Meta’s expanding infrastructure footprint in India while aligning with its global target of matching operations with 100 per cent renewable energy.

As India continues to position itself as a major hub for digital infrastructure and AI development, the Jamnagar project signals a deeper convergence of global tech investment, local industrial scale and clean energy ambitions.