RIL, int'l partners launch data centre in Chennai, their first in India

Joint venture called Digital Connexion has bought land in Mumbai to set up another data centre

Digital Connexion, a joint venture between Mukesh Ambani’s Reliance Industries, Canada's Brookfield and US-based Digital Realty, on Friday launched its first data centre in India, at Ambattur in Chennai.

The centre started with a processing capacity of 20 megawatt (Mw) and will expand it to 100 Mw, making it one of the largest such facilities in the country. Digital Connexion is planning to start a 40 Mw data centre in Mumbai, a top company executive told Business Standard.

This comes five days after Ambani hinted at his company’s entry into the fast growing data centre market, through partnership, by opening a new unit in Chennai.

The first phase of the data center, MAA10, will offer 20 Mw of information technology (IT) load and features design that enables customers to adapt their infrastructure in response to varied workload demands, accommodating anything from single cabinet needs to multi-megawatt requirements. “We have already started work on the second phase. We are looking to expand it to 100 Mw in future. Ambattur is ideal, given the availability of the necessary power supply, high number of submarine cable landing stations in the local area, and the state government's aspirations to make Chennai the top data center hub in India,” said C B Velayuthan, chief executive officer of Digital Connexion.

In July, Reliance partnered with Brookfield Infrastructure and Digital Realty to develop data centers in India. Each partner holds a 33.33 per cent stake in the joint venture. “We look forward to making it a destination of choice for our customers, partners, cloud and service providers looking to expand their reach in India, starting with MAA10, the state-of-the art first phase of this highly scalable campus,” said Velayuthan.

Digital Connexion has bought land in Mumbai for a 40 Mw data centre, which is expected to be on track by next year. “Chennai has a few advantages; one is it is the second largest point of sub-sea cables. In addition, accessibility through air, sea and land is another advantage for the city,” said Velayuthan.

As data centres need a huge amount of power, Digital Connexion believes Brookfield is an added advantage as a partner. “We are excited that one of our joint venture players, Brookfield, is one of the largest producers of renewable power in the country. We are excited to be able to use a lot of renewable power from them, making our data centres the most sustainable ones in the country,” Velayuthan said.

The growth of knowledge-based industries in Tamil Nadu is expected to drive a demand surge for quality data centre infrastructure, said Digital Connexion. MAA10 was built to address diverse customer requirements, helping them navigate new technologies.