Chicago/Internet/Hyderabad, Oct 3 (Maxim News): Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal has pitched India as a global destination for data centres, highlighting its clean energy capacity, national power grid, low data costs and large technology talent pool.
Addressing Indian-Americans at a community gathering organised by the US Indian Community Foundation in Chicago, Goyal urged American companies and Indian-American entrepreneurs to invest in India, particularly in emerging technology and digital infrastructure.
Goyal said India offers a combination of reliable power, renewable energy and lower infrastructure costs that could attract global data-centre investments.
“Amongst the trusted world, countries where you feel safe with your data, where you feel safe to invest in the current geopolitical context, India is the world’s best location to house data centres,” he said.
Goyal Highlights India’s Power and Cost Advantage
Goyal said India’s power infrastructure had undergone major changes since 2014, with regional grids connected into a national grid.
He said the country now has a connected grid with 520 GW of capacity and expects it to reach 1,000 GW within six or seven years.
According to Goyal, clean energy sources, including solar, wind, hydro and nuclear power, account for about 60 per cent of the installed capacity. He said the share could rise to 70 per cent by 2033.
The minister said data centres require reliable electricity and multiple levels of power redundancy. He claimed India could offer round-the-clock clean energy at competitive rates.
Goyal said companies could currently secure around 80 per cent guaranteed clean energy round the clock at seven to eight cents, while a 100 per cent clean energy supply could cost around 11 to 12 cents.
He also claimed that data-centre infrastructure in India could cost one-fourth to one-fifth of comparable infrastructure in the US or Europe.
On data costs, Goyal said prices in India could be around five to eight per cent of what users pay in the United States per gigabyte.
The minister also highlighted India’s technology workforce, saying around 1.4 million students graduate annually in science, technology, engineering and mathematics.
He urged the Indian-American community to contribute to India’s economic growth through investment, technology, entrepreneurship and knowledge sharing.
“The United States of America has capital strength, technology strength. India has ambition,” Goyal said.
Goyal travelled to Chicago after attending the G20 Trade Ministers’ Meeting in Milwaukee, where global trade issues were discussed. During his US visit, he also met American businesses and investors.
He said India could bring a large, multi-sectoral business delegation to the region, possibly in the first quarter of next year.
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