NEW DELHI — Positioned at the intersection of Artificial Intelligence (AI) expansion and digital infrastructure, Union Minister of Commerce & Industry Piyush Goyal chaired a high-level CEO Roundtable on “Ease of Doing Business (EoDB) for Scaling India’s Data Centre Ecosystem” at Vanijya Bhawan, New Delhi.
Highlighting a potential $200 billion investment pipeline for the sector, Minister Goyal reaffirmed that India is uniquely positioned to become the primary data center hub for global cloud and AI workloads as the nation targets a $30 trillion economy by 2047.
Strategic Focus Areas & Policy Interventions
The roundtable convened representatives from 8 major states (Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Haryana, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, and Uttar Pradesh) and executive leadership from 46 global and domestic data center companies to streamline operational frameworks.
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Power Reliability & Transmission: Discussions prioritized cluster-based transmission and substation planning, Day-1 sanctioned loads, mandatory dual-power feeders, and cross-state facilitation for direct renewable energy procurement.
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Land Bank Allocation: Recommendations emphasized setting up pre-identified, “DC-ready” land banks equipped with immediate high-voltage power grid connections to minimize project setup lead times.
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Streamlined Regulatory Approvals: Focused on expanding single-window clearance mechanisms and harmonizing regional building codes to fast-track construction timelines.
National Building Code 2026 Integration
The forum noted key regulatory progress achieved since the previous industry dialogue, specifically structural updates to safety and infrastructure classifications.
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Dedicated Classification: The National Building Code (NBC) 2026 now explicitly categorizes data centers under Group E, featuring a dedicated annex tailored to high-density facility standards.
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Operational Metrics: The code establishes standardized protocols for data-center-specific fire-risk assessments and performance indicators, providing institutional certainty for global investors.
Market Demand and AI Acceleration
The push to modernize data center infrastructure comes as hyperscalers—such as global cloud and enterprise AI platforms—accounted for over 80% of domestic data center space absorption in the first half of 2026.
By aligning central policy, state-level land allocation, and grid readiness, the Ministry of Commerce & Industry aims to build a resilient operational ecosystem to capture incoming global capital and cement India’s standing as an AI infrastructure capital.
