FAST READ
- PIB data-centre backgrounder date: 14 September 2026.
- India's installed data-centre capacity: about 1,575 MW in August 2026.
- Installed capacity in 2020: 375 MW.
WHY IN NEWS
- A 14 September 2026 PIB backgrounder highlighted data centres as core infrastructure for India's expanding digital economy.
- The issue links digital sovereignty, AI capacity, investment, energy demand, data governance and climate-resilient infrastructure.
TOP DATA & FACTS
- PIB data-centre backgrounder date: 14 September 2026.
- India's installed data-centre capacity: about 1,575 MW in August 2026.
- Installed capacity in 2020: 375 MW.
- Absolute increase from 2020 to 2026: about 1,200 MW.
- Capacity in 2026 is about 4.2 times the 2020 level.
- Major established locations cited by MeitY: 7 clusters/areas — Mumbai, Navi Mumbai, Chennai, Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Delhi NCR and Jamnagar.
- New investment destinations cited: 4 States — Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and West Bengal.
- Reference MeitY sustainability release: 12 August 2026.
- Reference MeitY capacity-expansion release: 6 August 2026.
- Reference year for the baseline capacity figure: 2020.
- Continuous operation target for modern facilities is 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
- Capacity growth of 1,200 MW over a 375 MW base is roughly 320%.
- Data-centre policy discussion therefore spans at least 3 resource systems: electricity, water/cooling and telecom connectivity.
- At least 2 major computing-demand drivers explicitly highlighted are AI and high-performance computing.
PRELIMS
- Capacity rose from 375 MW in 2020 to about 1,575 MW in 2026 — roughly a 4.2-fold level.
- AI and high-performance computing are explicit demand drivers.
- Data-centre sustainability depends heavily on electricity, cooling and connectivity.
QUICK REVISION
- PIB data-centre backgrounder date: 14 September 2026.
- India's installed data-centre capacity: about 1,575 MW in August 2026.
- Installed capacity in 2020: 375 MW.
- Absolute increase from 2020 to 2026: about 1,200 MW.
- Capacity in 2026 is about 4.2 times the 2020 level.
- Major established locations cited by MeitY: 7 clusters/areas — Mumbai, Navi Mumbai, Chennai, Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Delhi NCR and Jamnagar.