In its annual report, AdaniConneX, a joint venture between Adani Enterprises and EdgeConneX, has announced its aim to emerge among the top three data centre players by 2030. The company intends to capitalise on its presence in multiple areas which are infrastructure, green energy, energy as a service, shared engineering pool and fast-track project execution.
The report states that the pandemic has accelerated the shift towards digital technologies, fueling demand for data centres in India. As a result, the sector has drawn significant global capital and is expected to add 681 MW capacity by the end of 2024. Private equity players are also taking an interest in this growing industry.
Further, the report notes that the Indian data centre sector is expected to see significant growth, particularly in Mumbai and Chennai, which are expected to drive 73 per cent of the sector’s total capacity addition during 2021-2023. Other emerging hotspots for data centres include Pune, Kolkata, Hyderabad, Bangalore, and Delhi NCR. With the adoption of new technologies such as big data, 5G, internet of things (IoT), blockchain, augmented reality, virtual reality and artificial intelligence, as well as new-age applications and innovations, the demand for digital infrastructure in India is set to increase. Data centres are also becoming a new segment in the real estate market and are expected to contribute to 5-10 per cent of the overall absorption of commercial realty in any market.
As per the annual report, Adani ConneX envisions a 1 GW data centre powered by 100 per cent green energy by 2030, helping transform India into a digitally empowered knowledge economy. The company will build multiple hyperscale data centres and edge data centres across locations. The company aims to provide a range of data centre services to create a comprehensive digital ecosystem for the global community including clients, technology providers, and business partners, to collaborate and innovate.
The company identified the increased adoption of edge data centres as a business opportunity to emerge as a sectorial leader. As per the report, it can leverage friendly intercountry relationships by developing data processing hubs in UAE, Singapore, Nepal and Thailand, among others. The company’s robust experience in land acquisition and local challenges is expected to scale the data centre business. The Adani Group’s leadership in the energy sector, comprising the exploration of green hydrogen, fuel cells and next-gen technologies, is empowering the data centre business. This has helped the company power its data centres with 100 per cent renewable energy and offer differentiated solutions.
