PM Narendra Modi Airtrunk’s Robin Khuda (L) in New Delhi. 05.06.2026.
Airtrunk’s $30 billion investment in hyperscale cloud data centres in India: NEW DELHI — In a move that highlights the shifting gravity of the global digital landscape, hyperscale data centre giant AirTrunk has announced a massive planned investment of approximately ₹3 lakh crore ($30 billion) to develop 5 gigawatts (GW) of data centre capacity across India.
The announcement, which marks one of the single largest foreign investment proposals in India’s digital infrastructure ecosystem, was spotlighted by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Speaking on the staggering scale of the commitment, Prime Minister Modi emphasized that India’s digital infrastructure journey is gathering remarkable momentum.
“It is clear that the future of the world’s digital economy is increasingly being shaped in India,” the Prime Minister stated, noting that the infrastructure will act as a foundational pillar for the nation’s burgeoning digital ecosystem.
A Foundation for the AI Revolution
The scale of AirTrunk’s multi-billion-dollar initiative aligns with India’s aggressive push into artificial intelligence and cloud computing. The planned 5 GW capacity is designed to satisfy the exploding data appetites of local enterprises and global tech giants looking to deploy hyper-intensive cloud services and AI workloads within the country.
According to government officials, the influx of capital is expected to ripple across multiple sectors of the Indian economy. Beyond the direct technical capabilities, the investment is projected to:
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Generate Employment: Create tens of thousands of specialized jobs across the engineering, construction, and data center operational phases.
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Empower Local Supply Chains: Enhance the domestic manufacturing and procurement of heavily specialized electrical, cooling, and structural infrastructure.
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Accelerate Innovation: Solidify India’s standing as an active global hub for cloud architecture rather than just an offshore consumer market.
The infrastructure rollout will follow AirTrunk’s entry into the country earlier this year through the acquisition of Lumina CloudInfra, anchoring initial development hubs in tech capitals like Mumbai, Chennai, and Hyderabad.
Anthropic’s Claude-AI.
Navigating the Infrastructure Frontier
While the investment figures are historic, the execution will require tight coordination. AirTrunk Chief Executive Officer Robin Khuda met with central government authorities and key state ministers to map out the logistical runway needed for a rollout of this scale. Talks primarily centered around securing reliable, cost-effective power, establishing streamlined regulatory approvals, and unlocking vast corridors of renewable energy to sustainably feed the high-density facilities.
“Capital is mobile, and India is creating the conditions for it to thrive,” Khuda noted during his executive tour, citing flagship national policies like the IndiaAI Mission as primary reasons for the company’s long-term bullishness.
As geopolitical and economic priorities prioritize localized data storage, India’s massive talent pool and aggressive infrastructure reforms are proving to be a magnet for the world’s largest tech financiers.
About AirTrunk
Founded in 2015, AirTrunk is an industry-pioneering hyperscale data centre specialist operating primarily across the Asia-Pacific and Middle East (APME) regions. Rather than building traditional corporate data facilities, AirTrunk designs, builds, and operates massive, high-efficiency data campus ecosystems custom-built for the world’s largest cloud, content, and large enterprise customers—often referred to as “hyperscalers.”
The company established its footprint in 2017 by building Australia’s first and largest hyperscale data centers. It quickly scaled its footprint into major global hubs, including Japan, Singapore, Hong Kong, and Malaysia. In late 2024, AirTrunk was acquired by a consortium led by asset management giant Blackstone and the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPPIB) in a landmark A$24 billion transaction, providing the company with massive financial runway to target rapidly expanding economies like India.
Who is Robin Khuda, Airtrunk’s Founder and CEO
Robin Khuda is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of AirTrunk. Born and raised in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Khuda moved to Australia at the age of 18 to pursue his higher education, eventually earning business degrees from the University of Technology Sydney and the University of Manchester.
Before founding AirTrunk, Khuda accumulated over two decades of senior executive experience across the telecommunications, cloud computing, and digital infrastructure landscapes, serving as Chief Financial Officer for tech firms like NextDC and PIPE Networks.
Widely recognized as a visionary entrepreneur, Khuda predicted the exponential boom in cloud adoption and artificial intelligence across the Asia-Pacific region long before standard infrastructure could catch up. Under his leadership, AirTrunk has transformed from a regional startup into one of the world’s fastest-growing tech platforms. His contributions earned him the Australian Financial Review’s prestigious “Business Person of the Year” award in 2024.
