Blackstone-backed data center firm AirTrunk announced on Friday a $30 billion commitment to India by 2030, joining other technology and infrastructure players in boosting the nation's computing resources.

The Australian operator intends to create 5 gigawatts of fresh data center space in India, representing one of the biggest pledges yet to the region's digital setup. AirTrunk gained entry to India this year via the purchase of Lumina CloudInfra.

This move highlights India's rising status for AI infrastructure projects, as firms and backers look for fresh locations to grow processing power. Projections from Bernstein indicate data center capacity could reach up to 8GW by 2030, up from roughly 1.5GW currently.

New Delhi has introduced measures to draw AI investments, including tax breaks for foreign cloud providers through 2047 on overseas services hosted in Indian facilities.

Preparations are underway, with Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis noting a letter of intent for land at the Raigad Pen Growth Center. AirTrunk plans a 3GW facility there, backed by around 2 trillion rupees or about $21 billion. The firm already holds a pipeline of roughly 600MW in Mumbai, Chennai, and Hyderabad.

AirTrunk offered no details on whether the Raigad site covers most of the 5GW target or if further sites are planned elsewhere.

The pledge came after AirTrunk CEO Robin Khuda met Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who highlighted how the funds would bolster India's role in global cloud and AI services.

AirTrunk now stands among firms expanding in India, including Amazon, Google, Microsoft, OpenAI, and Uber on the international side, plus Reliance Industries, Adani Group, and TCS domestically.

Yet data centers demand huge supplies of power, water, and space, with experts flagging electricity availability as a key constraint.

Deloitte projects that Asia Pacific data center growth may need tens of terawatt-hours of extra electricity by decade's end.

Khuda pointed to policy backing, skilled talent, and renewable energy access as foundations for the investment strategy.