THE APEX TIMES
Meta inks lease deal for its first AI-enabled data center in India with Reliance
Reliance Industries will build a 168-megawatt AI-enabled data center in Jamnagar, Gujarat, that Meta will lease under an agreement with options to scale capacity.
Meta has agreed to lease capacity at an AI-enabled data center in India, marking what the company describes as its first such facility in the country. The deal pairs Meta’s demand for compute to train and run AI systems with Reliance Industries’ push to expand data center infrastructure in Gujarat.
Under the agreement, Reliance will construct the Jamnagar facility with an initial capacity of 168 megawatts (MW). Meta will lease the capacity, and the arrangement includes options to increase the footprint over time, according to Meta’s announcement.
Meta said the data center will be powered by renewable energy and cooled using desalinated seawater. In the company’s statement, Meta also said it would cover the full costs of the electricity and water used to support the facility, framing the agreement as part of its broader effort to expand its global infrastructure for AI and its products.
Mark Zuckerberg, Meta’s founder and CEO, said the Jamnagar site will help Meta scale AI infrastructure globally while deepening what he called Meta’s long-term investment in India. The company positioned the move as aligning with India’s “rapidly growing” digital economy and large user base, suggesting the infrastructure build is intended to support services used by people across the country.
The announcement comes as AI computing has become a scarce resource for many large technology companies, increasing the strategic value of securing power, cooling, and land for data centers. India has increasingly attracted hyperscalers and infrastructure investors as they look for new geography options to meet rising demand for AI training and deployment, according to reporting from TechCrunch and CNBC.
Meta’s Reliance partnership also reflects how infrastructure deals in India often grow out of prior collaboration. TechCrunch noted that the companies’ relationship has evolved from Meta’s earlier investment in Reliance’s Jio Platforms, and it referenced additional work including a $100 million joint venture aimed at enterprise AI solutions launched last year.
What Meta did not disclose in its announcement is as important as what it did. The company did not provide financial terms for the lease, the timeline for construction and commissioning, the exact nature of the “options to scale” (such as pricing or the mechanics for additional capacity), or the expected impact on Meta’s near-term capital spending and AI deployment schedules.
Looking ahead, investors and customers will likely focus on how quickly Reliance completes the facility, whether Meta expands the lease as planned, and how the project fits into Meta’s wider AI infrastructure roadmap. The company’s willingness to commit to operational costs for energy and water could also become a benchmark for how it evaluates future data center locations, particularly in power- and cooling-constrained markets.
Why It Matters
- The deal highlights how AI infrastructure requirements, including power and cooling, are becoming a central factor in where major AI systems are developed and deployed.
- Securing a large contracted capacity in India could help Meta reduce bottlenecks in obtaining compute for training and running AI models as demand rises.
- The project underscores the strategic role of local partners in enabling hyperscale buildouts in markets where energy logistics and permitting can shape timelines.
- If Meta exercises options to scale, it would announcement that India is moving from a target market to a deeper compute location for Meta’s AI stack.
Key Facts
- Meta said it has entered an agreement to lease capacity at an AI-enabled data center in India.
- The facility will be built in Jamnagar, Gujarat, with an initial capacity of 168 MW.
- Meta will lease the capacity and the agreement includes options to scale up later.
- Meta said the data center will use renewable energy and be cooled with desalinated seawater, and Meta will cover the energy and water costs.
- Reliance Industries will build the facility as part of the expanded partnership with Meta, according to Meta’s announcement.
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