Latest news with #DCEZs
Time of India
5 days ago
- Business
- Time of India
Policy for data centers' land, power usage to support industry: CBRE's Anshuman Magazine
NEW DELHI: Policy interventions to ensure availability of fundamentals – land, water, and energy – would be a deciding factor in driving the proliferation of data centers nationwide, according to real estate consulting firm CBRE . 'Land is a common challenge for every real estate development, including data center s. But the bigger challenge is getting the power to run a data center. So, the state or the city may not have the kind of power required by data centers. That is why hyperscalers and other larger data centers are being established in major cities first,' Anshuman Magazine , chairman & CEO (India, Southeast Asia, Middle East & Africa), CBRE, told ETTelecom in an interview. The rapid advancements in cloud, generative artificial intelligence (GenAI), and low-latency applications are also causing the data centers to guzzle water to keep the computing infrastructure running at optimum temperatures for sustained performance. 'The data centers also require a lot of water because they generate heat. So it needs cooling. The construction of a data center itself is expensive and the technology, including the racks, as well as prices, have increased,' Magazine said. 'Lately, the power generation in India is improving, and that will enable us to put a larger capacity data center, which will benefit the entire industry.' Vipin Jain, president (datacenter operations), CtrlS Datacenters, told ETTelecom in a recent interview that more efforts are needed beyond allotting lands at market rates and waiving stamp duty to support the greenfield data center projects. 'If we have to look at this industry in total, the government should look into whether it can develop data center cities that have ample power. They have to consider the use of unclear power and renewable energy,' he said. The top executive's comments close on the heels of the Ministry of Electronics and IT ( MeitY ) restarting consultations on the draft national data center policy to attract investments in this sector, ET reported in its August 11, 2025, edition . The policy, which aims to encourage the establishment of data centers through single-window permissions, streamlining approvals, providing incentives, and setting up four data center economic zones (DCEZs), was announced in 2020 but never implemented. CBRE estimates India's data center capacity to increase from 1.27GW in 2024 to 1.76GW in 2025, with the real estate footprint growing from 19 million square feet to 26 million square feet. Mumbai (50%), followed by Chennai (17%), Delhi NCR (12%), Bengaluru (9%), and Pune (6%), are expected to be the top data center markets (by capacity) this year, according to the American commercial real estate services and investment firm. Last year, investors remained bullish and committed nearly $20 billion in data centers, benefitting Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Uttar Pradesh, and West Bengal, as per CBRE. 'Mumbai and Chennai are the major data center hubs due to undersea cabling connections. That is why more data centers have come there. Going forward, there will be data centers everywhere. Certainly, parts of South India and western Mumbai will have an advantage,' the executive said.
Time of India
11-08-2025
- Business
- Time of India
MeitY plots data leap; BlueStone IPO opens
MeitY plots data leap; BlueStone IPO opens Also in the letter: MeitY reboots data centre policy after five years Driving the news: Why now: Even with infrastructure status granted to facilities above 5 MW, building a data centre still needs over 30 separate approvals, slowing expansion. MeitY is reviewing 10 state-level policies to simplify permissions and align incentives. The big picture: BlueStone IPO opens to lukewarm interest; early subscription at just 39% By investor class: Qualified institutional buyers (QIBs), who typically bid late, swept up 57% of their allotted shares. Retail investors picked up 38% of their allotment. Non-institutional investors took just 4%. Deal structure: Rs 820 crore in fresh issue 1.39 crore shares in an offer-for-sale from existing investors, including Accel, Saama, Kalaari, Iron Pillar, and Sunil Kant Munjal At the top price band, BlueStone commands a valuation of Rs 7,823 crore. Financials: Also Read: Sponsor ETtech Top 5 & Morning Dispatch! Why it matters: The opportunity: Reach a highly engaged audience of decision-makers. Boost your brand's visibility among the tech-savvy community. Custom sponsorship options to align with your brand's goals. What's next: Awfis profit rises threefold in Q1 Financials: Net profit: Rs 10 crore (Rs 3 crore last year). Sequential change: down 11% from January-March (Rs 11 crore). Total expenses: Rs 343 crore (up from Rs 265 crore a year earlier) Operating Ebitda: Rs 127 crore, up 60% year-on-year. Company's take: Yes, and: CEO Sumit Lakhani said around 18,000 seats had been signed and were said to be taken up in the second and third quarters. Axiom Space deepens India partnership What's next: Cost factor: Why it matters: Zoom out: Nvidia, AMD to pay US 15% on AI chip sales to China Driving the news: The big deal: Nvidia can now export its 'H20' chips, built to meet US export control limits. AMD also gets the green light to sell its MI308 chips. The US government could collect more than $2 billion via this arrangement, the New York Times reported. Why it's unusual: The move also represents a quick U-turn by the Trump administration, which had banned the exports of these chips to China in April. Market context: India's IT ministry has resumed discussions on a national data centre policy after five years. This and more in today's ETtech Top 5.■ Awfis Q1 earnings report■ Axiom's India flight■ Washington cashes on chipsThe Ministry of Electronics and IT (MeitY) has revived plans for a national data centre policy , first proposed in 2020, but never rolled out. Last week, officials met a select group of industry stakeholders in New Delhi, with feedback due this draft policy outlines faster single-window clearances, incentives for domestic hardware manufacturing, and four dedicated Data Centre Economic Zones (DCEZs). The aim is to spread capacity beyond Mumbai, Chennai, and Delhi-NCR, which together account for 80% of India's current 1,263 MW.A surge in AI adoption is driving demand for high-capacity, low-latency facilities. Colliers India estimates capacity will cross 4,500 MW by 2030, supported by $20–25 billion in new aims to establish itself as a global hub for AI and cloud services. Industry executives believe the DCEZ model, when combined with hyperscalers, cloud providers, R&D units, and edge facilities, could serve as a catalyst for scale and Jewellery and Lifestyle's Rs 1,541 crore initial public offering (IPO) made a slow start on Monday , drawing just 39% subscription by the end of the day. The grey market premium (GMP) was Rs 9, signalling a modest 1.74% gain on the upper price band of Rs offer closes on August surged to Rs 1,770 crore in FY25 from Rs 771 crore in FY23, a CAGR of about 52%. Losses widened to Rs 222 crore as the company poured money into store rollouts and marketing, though gross margins improved to 37.94%.As ET had reported last week, BlueStone had trimmed its issue size from the Rs 1,000 crore fresh issue originally planned to Rs 820 Top 5 and Morning Dispatch are must-reads for India's tech and business leaders, including startup founders, investors, policy makers, industry insiders and Reach out to us at spotlightpartner@ to explore sponsorship workspace provider Awfis Space Solutions posted a sharp rise in quarterly earnings, with net profit for April-June tripling and managing director Amit Ramani attributed the margin lift to 'better occupancy, enhanced operating leverage, improved cost efficiencies, and disciplined execution across segments' during an analyst call on now runs 220 co-working centres with more than 1.4 lakh seats spanning 7.1 million (71 lakh) sq ft across 18 cities. Its client base is spread across more than 3,200 active off the Axiom-4 mission that flew Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla to the International Space Station (ISS), US-based Axiom Space is doubling down on its India bet CEO Tejpaul Bhatia told us the collaboration spans future human crewed missions, a possible Indian role in Axiom's private space station, and even joint work on advanced 2027, Axiom plans to bolt its first module onto the ISS, and then add one each year. The aim is to operate solo before the ISS is retired in 2031. The first phase will host eight a pilot astronaut seat costs about $70 million; a mission specialist seat is $65 million. Bhatia states that India's increasing space influence makes it a natural partner in the emerging 'new space economy'.India is positioning itself as the fourth space superpower, after moon and sun missions, rising satellite launches, and now an astronaut on the ISS. Bhatia described Axiom's relationship with India as 'powerful', 'valuable', and 'much larger than any one mission.'Seats for its 2027 mission are selling three years in advance. Some future missions, Bhatia added, will have Indian connections, though details are still under an unusual and somewhat unprecedented arrangement, chipmaking giants Nvidia and AMD will hand over 15% of revenue from AI chip sales to China to the US government, according to multiple media deal, struck in a White House meeting between Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang and President Donald Trump, clears the way for Commerce Department licences to sell toned-down AI chips to Chinese revenue-sharing from corporate exports is rare in US trade policy. It comes alongside tariffs of up to 100% on semiconductor imports, with exemptions for companies making substantial domestic now the first firm to hit a $4 trillion market cap , still counts China as a key AI market despite Washington's continued curbs on high-end chips. The move shows how market access has become a bargaining chip (no puns intended) in the geopolitical fight over AI supply chains.
Economic Times
11-08-2025
- Business
- Economic Times
MeitY plots data leap; BlueStone IPO opens
India's IT ministry has resumed discussions on a national data centre policy after five years. This and more in today's ETtech Top 5. Also in the letter: ■ Awfis Q1 earnings report■ Axiom's India flight■ Washington cashes on chips MeitY reboots data centre policy after five years The Ministry of Electronics and IT (MeitY) has revived plans for a national data centre policy, first proposed in 2020, but never rolled out. Last week, officials met a select group of industry stakeholders in New Delhi, with feedback due this week. Driving the news: The draft policy outlines faster single-window clearances, incentives for domestic hardware manufacturing, and four dedicated Data Centre Economic Zones (DCEZs). The aim is to spread capacity beyond Mumbai, Chennai, and Delhi-NCR, which together account for 80% of India's current 1,263 MW. Why now: A surge in AI adoption is driving demand for high-capacity, low-latency facilities. Colliers India estimates capacity will cross 4,500 MW by 2030, supported by $20–25 billion in new investment. Even with infrastructure status granted to facilities above 5 MW, building a data centre still needs over 30 separate approvals, slowing expansion. MeitY is reviewing 10 state-level policies to simplify permissions and align incentives. The big picture: India aims to establish itself as a global hub for AI and cloud services. Industry executives believe the DCEZ model, when combined with hyperscalers, cloud providers, R&D units, and edge facilities, could serve as a catalyst for scale and efficiency. BlueStone IPO opens: Day 1 sees 39% subscription led by institutional buyers Gaurav Singh Kushwaha, founder & CEO, Blues Omnichannel jewellery retailer BlueStone's Rs 1,541 crore initial public offering (IPO) was subscribed 39% on the first day of the issue's launch, with institutional buyers leading the charge. The grey market premium (GMP) was Rs 9, signalling a modest 1.74% gain on the upper price band of Rs 517. By investor class: Qualified institutional buyers (QIBs), who typically bid late, swept up 57% of their allocation. Retail investors picked up 38% of their allotment. Non-institutional investors took 4% of the shares on offer. The issue closes on August 13. Deal structure: Rs 820 crore in fresh issue 1.39 crore shares in an offer-for-sale from existing investors, including Accel, Saama, Kalaari, Iron Pillar, and Sunil Kant Munjal At the top price band, BlueStone commands a valuation of Rs 7,823 crore. Financials: Revenue surged to Rs 1,770 crore in FY25 from Rs 771 crore in FY23, a CAGR of about 52%. Losses widened to Rs 222 crore as the company poured money into store rollouts and marketing, though gross margins improved to 37.94%. Also Read: IPO-bound BlueStone geared for unicorn tag As ET had reported last week, BlueStone had trimmed the size of its fresh issue component from Rs 1,000 crore to Rs 820 crore. The company, which had initially targeted a valuation of over Rs 10,000 crore, has adjusted to prevailing market sentiment and is now going public at a reduced valuation. Sponsor ETtech Top 5 & Morning Dispatch! Why it matters: ETtech Top 5 and Morning Dispatch are must-reads for India's tech and business leaders, including startup founders, investors, policy makers, industry insiders and employees. The opportunity: Reach a highly engaged audience of decision-makers. Boost your brand's visibility among the tech-savvy community. Custom sponsorship options to align with your brand's goals. What's next: Interested? Reach out to us at spotlightpartner@ to explore sponsorship opportunities. Awfis profit rises threefold in Q1 Flexible workspace provider Awfis Space Solutions posted a sharp rise in quarterly earnings, with net profit for April-June tripling year-on-year. Financials: Net profit: Rs 10 crore (Rs 3 crore last year). Sequential change: down 11% from January-March (Rs 11 crore). Total expenses: Rs 343 crore (up from Rs 265 crore a year earlier) Operating Ebitda: Rs 127 crore, up 60% year-on-year. Company's take: Chairman and managing director Amit Ramani attributed the margin lift to 'better occupancy, enhanced operating leverage, improved cost efficiencies, and disciplined execution across segments' during an analyst call on Monday. Yes, and: Awfis now runs 220 co-working centres with more than 1.4 lakh seats spanning 7.1 million (71 lakh) sq ft across 18 cities. Its client base is spread across more than 3,200 active accounts. CEO Sumit Lakhani said around 18,000 seats had been signed and were said to be taken up in the second and third quarters. Axiom Space deepens India partnership Fresh off the Axiom-4 mission that flew Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla to the International Space Station (ISS), US-based Axiom Space is doubling down on its India bet. CEO Tejpaul Bhatia told us the collaboration spans future human crewed missions, a possible Indian role in Axiom's private space station, and even joint work on advanced spacesuits. What's next: By 2027, Axiom plans to bolt its first module onto the ISS, and then add one each year. The aim is to operate solo before the ISS is retired in 2031. The first phase will host eight astronauts. Cost factor: Sending a pilot astronaut seat costs about $70 million; a mission specialist seat is $65 million. Bhatia states that India's increasing space influence makes it a natural partner in the emerging 'new space economy'. Why it matters: India is positioning itself as the fourth space superpower, after moon and sun missions, rising satellite launches, and now an astronaut on the ISS. Bhatia described Axiom's relationship with India as 'powerful', 'valuable', and 'much larger than any one mission.' Zoom out: Seats for its 2027 mission are selling three years in advance. Some future missions, Bhatia added, will have Indian connections, though details are still under wraps. Nvidia, AMD to pay US 15% on AI chip sales to China In an unusual and somewhat unprecedented arrangement, chipmaking giants Nvidia and AMD will hand over 15% of revenue from AI chip sales to China to the US government, according to multiple media reports. Driving the news: The deal, struck in a White House meeting between Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang and President Donald Trump, clears the way for Commerce Department licences to sell toned-down AI chips to Chinese customers. The big deal: Nvidia can now export its 'H20' chips, built to meet US export control limits. AMD also gets the green light to sell its MI308 chips. The US government could collect more than $2 billion via this arrangement, the New York Times reported. Why it's unusual: Direct revenue-sharing from corporate exports is rare in US trade policy. It comes alongside tariffs of up to 100% on semiconductor imports, with exemptions for companies making substantial domestic investments. The move also represents a quick U-turn by the Trump administration, which had banned the exports of these chips to China in April. Market context: Nvidia, now the first firm to hit a $4 trillion market cap, still counts China as a key AI market despite Washington's continued curbs on high-end chips. The move shows how market access has become a bargaining chip (no puns intended) in the geopolitical fight over AI supply chains. Updated On Aug 11, 2025, 07:21 PM IST
Economic Times
11-08-2025
- Business
- Economic Times
MeitY jumpstarts talks on data centre policy to boost capacity
The ministry of electronics and information technology (MeitY) has restarted consultations on the draft national data centre policy, according to officials, as the government looks to sharpen its approach to wooing investments in such facilities in the policy, which aims to encourage setting up of data centres through single-window permissions, streamlining approvals, promoting domestic manufacturing and providing incentives, was announced in 2020 but never implemented. Last week, a limited stakeholder consultation held by the ministry in the national capital was attended by industry representatives, who have been asked to submit recommendations by this week, the officials said. "The existing policy was comprehensive. We have sought feedback on how to update it in line with how the sector has changed over the past five years," said one of the officials cited rapid expansion of the sector and AI-led growth have led to the need for having such facilities across the country, centrally planning for rising power consumption and coordinating with state governments, he said. Many of the features of the draft policy, such as single-window clearances, four dedicated Data Centre Economic Zones (DCEZs), and targeted incentives, have been discussed in recent meetings, said industry executives who participated at the last meeting. It aimed to make India a favorable destination for data centres by streamlining approvals, promoting domestic manufacturing and providing incentives. The government has partially adopted one of its key suggestions—granting infrastructure status to data centres with capacity of 5 MW or higher. "The government is keen on the DCEZs since it would help distribute the uneven spread of data centres, especially taking advantage of the many smaller edge data centres that are set to come up in interior locations," a person aware of the matter told ET. "It has given the example of India's first AI-based data centre park opening in Chhattisgarh's Naya Raipur in May." The DCEZ was envisioned to create an ecosystem of hyperscalers, cloud service providers, IT companies, R&D units and other allied industries at select locations. Tapping into states "Considering that at least 10 states have now brought in data centre policies, the government plans to adopt some of the elements of the various state data centre policies based on industry feedback," said an executive with a Mumbai-based data centre operator. Although Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and West Bengal have rolled out the red carpet for data centres, nearly 80% of the total capacity is still in the large metros—Mumbai (41%), Chennai (23%) and Delhi NCR (14%), according to real estate services firm Colliers India.
Time of India
11-08-2025
- Business
- Time of India
MeitY jumpstarts talks on data centre policy to boost capacity
Academy Empower your mind, elevate your skills The ministry of electronics and information technology (MeitY) has restarted consultations on the draft national data centre policy , according to officials, as the government looks to sharpen its approach to wooing investments in such facilities in the policy, which aims to encourage setting up of data centres through single-window permissions, streamlining approvals, promoting domestic manufacturing and providing incentives, was announced in 2020 but never week, a limited stakeholder consultation held by the ministry in the national capital was attended by industry representatives, who have been asked to submit recommendations by this week, the officials said."The existing policy was comprehensive. We have sought feedback on how to update it in line with how the sector has changed over the past five years," said one of the officials cited rapid expansion of the sector and AI-led growth have led to the need for having such facilities across the country, centrally planning for rising power consumption and coordinating with state governments, he of the features of the draft policy, such as single-window clearances, four dedicated Data Centre Economic Zones (DCEZs), and targeted incentives, have been discussed in recent meetings, said industry executives who participated at the last aimed to make India a favorable destination for data centres by streamlining approvals, promoting domestic manufacturing and providing incentives. The government has partially adopted one of its key suggestions—granting infrastructure status to data centres with capacity of 5 MW or higher."The government is keen on the DCEZs since it would help distribute the uneven spread of data centres, especially taking advantage of the many smaller edge data centres that are set to come up in interior locations," a person aware of the matter told ET. "It has given the example of India's first AI-based data centre park opening in Chhattisgarh's Naya Raipur in May."The DCEZ was envisioned to create an ecosystem of hyperscalers , cloud service providers, IT companies, R&D units and other allied industries at select locations."Considering that at least 10 states have now brought in data centre policies, the government plans to adopt some of the elements of the various state data centre policies based on industry feedback," said an executive with a Mumbai-based data centre operator. Although Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and West Bengal have rolled out the red carpet for data centres, nearly 80% of the total capacity is still in the large metros—Mumbai (41%), Chennai (23%) and Delhi NCR (14%), according to real estate services firm Colliers India.
