Adani Group has unveiled an ambitious plan to invest $100 billion by 2035 in data centres tailored for artificial‑intelligence workloads and powered by renewable energy. Framed as one of the largest private commitments to digital infrastructure in India, the announcement signals a major push to marry compute capacity with green power as demand for AI services soars.
The Adani conglomerate is already a dominant force in ports, power, logistics and renewable generation across India. This new initiative extends that reach into digital infrastructure, positioning the group not merely as an energy and transport developer but as a platform operator for the cloud and AI era.
The emphasis on renewables is significant. Large AI models consume vast amounts of electricity, and operators worldwide face pressure to reduce the carbon intensity of compute. By tying data‑centre capacity to solar, wind and other green sources, Adani aims to deliver high‑performance computing while addressing climate and corporate‑sustainability concerns.
India’s appetite for cloud services and AI is accelerating, driven by domestic enterprises, public‑sector digitisation and global players establishing local capacity to meet regulatory and latency demands. A privately funded, large‑scale roll‑out of purpose‑built AI data centres could reduce dependence on foreign hyperscalers’ footprints, create local supply chains for cooling and power infrastructure, and attract software exporters.
Execution will be the real test. Building tens of gigawatts of grid‑scale renewable capacity alongside low‑latency data halls requires sustained capital, land, water and transmission upgrades. The variable nature of wind and solar also means the project will likely need large energy‑storage investments or long‑term power purchase agreements to guarantee steady, AI‑grade power.
There are also strategic constraints. India lacks large domestic semiconductor fabrication capacity and the specialised interconnect and cooling ecosystem that some established data‑centre hubs enjoy. Adani’s plan may therefore prompt deeper partnerships with chip suppliers, hyperscalers and battery and cooling technology firms — or risk bottlenecks that limit the centres’ competitiveness.
If realised, the programme would accelerate India’s positioning as a credible location for AI development and hosting, with knock‑on effects for exports, skills and energy policy. But the scale and complexity of the undertaking mean its success depends on regulatory clarity, grid investment, financing structures and partnerships that can deliver both compute density and reliable green power on an industrial scale.