Meta and Reliance Industries on Tuesday, June 10, announced a major expansion of their strategic partnership with plans to develop an AI data centre in India, strengthening the country’s role in the global artificial intelligence infrastructure race.
Under the agreement, Reliance will build a 168-megawatt data centre in Jamnagar, Gujarat, that Meta will lease, with options to expand capacity as demand for AI computing grows. The new facility will become Meta’s first AI-enabled data centre in India, according to a press release shared by the tech giant.
The announcement highlights Meta’s increasing focus on India, one of its largest and fastest-growing markets. The company has said the Jamnagar facility will help bring the infrastructure needed to power its products, services and future AI capabilities closer to millions of users in the country.
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg described the project as an important milestone in the company’s global infrastructure strategy. “We’re proud to be working with Reliance to build our first AI-enabled data centre in India. This world-class facility in Jamnagar will help us scale our AI infrastructure globally while deepening our long-term investment in India’s economy,” Zuckerberg said.
The Jamnagar facility is expected to be powered by renewable energy and cooled using desalinated seawater, making it one of the more environmentally conscious data centre projects announced in the region. Meta said it will bear the full cost of the energy and water required to operate the facility.
The project also aligns with Meta’s broader push to expand the computing capacity required to support advanced AI systems. As companies race to build increasingly powerful AI models, demand for large-scale data centres and high-performance computing infrastructure has surged worldwide.
Reliance Industries Chairman Mukesh Ambani said the agreement demonstrates India’s growing importance in the global AI ecosystem. “This partnership with Meta marks a transformative moment for India’s digital infrastructure. Building India’s first built-to-suit AI data centre for a global technology leader of Meta’s scale demonstrates India’s readiness to be at the forefront of the global AI revolution,” Ambani said in the press release.
The partnership builds on years of collaboration between the two companies. In 2020, Meta invested $5.7 billion in Jio Platforms, helping expand digital connectivity and commerce initiatives across India. Since then, both companies have explored opportunities in AI, digital services, and business solutions.
Meta on Tuesday also announced new renewable energy commitments in India, with a deal for 1 gigawatt of clean energy capacity, secured through pacts with CleanMax and Fourth Partner Energy.
The deal with CleanMax involves building 837 MW of new solar and wind energy projects in Rajasthan and Karnataka. Meanwhile, the partnership with Fourth Partner Energy aims to bring 88 MW of clean energy projects to , Karnataka, Maharashtra, and Uttar Pradesh.
According to the company, such developments will help it achieve its vision of making its global operations carbon neutral by sourcing 100 per cent renewable energy.
