Mumbai is 6th globally in under-construction data centre capacity: Report

Business Standard

5 days ago

Mumbai is fast emerging as a data centre hub, ranking sixth globally in the under-construction capacity, surpassing global hubs like London and Dublin, and 7th most established data centre market in the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region, according to a report by a global commercial real estate services provider.
At the end of 2024, the city had 335 megawatts (MW) of data centre capacity under construction, which, once completed, will expand its operational capacity by 62 per cent, the report by Cushman & Wakefield stated.
Mumbai also accounts for 42 per cent of India's projected under-construction capacity. Digital infrastructure upgrades in the city further support the growth of data centres.
'India's data centre sector has attracted prominent international operators and investors, even as domestic players continue to expand capacity. The next few years will see India add over 2.7 Gw of capacity across under-construction and planned projects, reinforcing its position as a future-ready digital infrastructure powerhouse,' Gautam Saraf, executive managing director – Mumbai & new business, India, Cushman & Wakefield, said,
According to a separate report by Cushman & Wakefield, 2025 may witness the completion of three crucial undersea data cable projects landing in Mumbai. These are expected to significantly increase India's internet capacity and speed, enhancing inter-regional digital connectivity with Africa, Europe, the Middle East, and Asia. The completion of these projects will further elevate Mumbai's position as a major connectivity hub in the Southeast Asian region.
Also, Pune is ranked fourth among APAC's top emerging data centre markets. The city is rapidly becoming a preferred destination for hyperscalers and enterprise-grade colocation facilities.
As of Q1 CY25, Pune's operational data centre stock stands at 112 IT Mw. With an additional 190 IT Mw of capacity currently in the under-construction or planned stages, across key corridors such as Hinjewadi and Pimpri-Chinchwad.
Major players, including STT GDC, Nxtra by Airtel, and IronMountain, are anchoring their presence in the region, attracted by Pune's favourable climate, skilled talent pool, dependable power infrastructure, and strategic connectivity to Mumbai's cable landing stations, the report said.
Ten of the world's 30 largest data centre markets are now in APAC, with 1.6 Gw of new capacity coming online, bringing the region's total operational data centre capacity to 12.2 Gw.
The development pipeline has an additional 14.4 Gw of capacity currently under construction or planned. The key drivers, such as 5G rollouts, increased cloud adoption, rising digital content consumption, and expanding IoT use cases, continue to accelerate demand in the region's data centre sector.
These trends have attracted sustained investor interest, supported by rising occupancy levels, stable rental yields, and long-term growth prospects from hyperscale and colocation expansions.