The data centre industry has raised concerns over the government’s proposal to implement India-specific guidelines for certifying data centres, calling the move duplicative and inconsistent with global standards.
According to Nasscom, the draft certification scheme proposed by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) may create a dual compliance burden, potentially limiting operators’ participation in both domestic and international markets.
Operators argue the proposed framework does not reflect the sector’s technological evolution or its varied business models. The certification, developed by MeitY’s Standardisation Testing and Quality Certification (STQC) Directorate, aims to set standards for data centre operations and maintenance nationwide.
Given that STQC already audits government-approved cloud service providers (CSPs), Nasscom questioned the additional value of the scheme. Instead, it has recommended a tiered, risk-based approach that introduces only incremental compliance for entities already meeting MeitY and global standards.
Nasscom also highlighted that the draft fails to distinguish between enterprise, co-location, and hyperscale data centres. While some countries do implement localised standards to address specific risks, they rarely introduce broad certification frameworks beyond established international norms.
