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India Gazette
08-05-2025
- Business
- India Gazette
AI surge requires 50 million Sq Ft additional real estate, 45 TWH incremental power for data centres by 2030: Deloitte
New Delhi [India], May 8 (ANI): India could require an additional 45-50 million square feet of real estate space and 40-45 Terawatt Hours (TWH) of incremental power by 2030 to meet the growing demand for AI, according to a report by multinational professional services firm Deloitte. The report further suggests that targeted policy interventions will be critical in positioning India as a global AI hub. The report identifies six key pillars for India to reach its full potential in building a world-leading, AI-ready ecosystem. These pillars are real estate, power and utilities infrastructure, connectivity and network infrastructure, compute infrastructure, talent and policy framework. 'For India to accelerate its AI capabilities and realise its potential, it is necessary to introduce enabling policies to support the sector. India must develop its AI-ready infrastructure to meet this rising demand for data analytics and processing,' said S Anjani Kumar, Partner, Deloitte India. While India offers an advantage in data centre real estate with lower land and labour costs, significant new constructions are needed to meet the additional AI data centre capacity, highlights the report. From a policy perspective, the report suggests that introducing a separate category for data centres in the National Building Code and recognising them under the Essential Services Maintenance Act could further incentivise specialised infrastructure development. Additionally, fast-tracking and simplifying the approvals by setting up data centre facilitation units can help boost the deployment of data centres, the report adds. The rapid expansion of data centres in India intensifies pressure on the country's power infrastructure, creating an urgent need for enhanced transmission capabilities and grid stability. The report further add that substantial investments are needed to expand generation capacity, upgrade infrastructure and better integrate renewable energy sources, which are supported by advancements in energy-efficient cooling and offshore and onshore power sourcing. Compute infrastructure is a critical component of AI data centre operations. 'A greater focus on building high-performance compute infrastructure, scalable power and cooling systems and efficient networking infrastructure, with a reconsideration of policy framework, can make India a hotspot for AI-powered data centre development in the coming years,' said Neha Aggarwal, Partner, Deloitte India. To stay competitive, the report suggests that India must urgently boost Graphics Processing Unit (GPU) supply, promote GPU-as-a-Service (GPUaaS) and attract foreign investment to build Exaflop-scale capacity with high-performance GPUs. The report emphasises that India's workforce must upskill to fit into AI and data centre ecosystem roles, accelerating sector growth. (ANI)
India.com
08-05-2025
- Business
- India.com
AI Surge In India Requires Additional 45-50 Million Sq ft Real Estate: Report
New Delhi: As demand for artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure grows, the country could require an additional 45–50 million square feet of real estate space and 40-45 terawatt hours (TWH) incremental power by 2030 to meet the growing demand for AI, a report showed on Thursday. India offers cost advantages, a renewable energy focus and a strategic location for the development of data centres, said a Deloitte report. The report further suggests that targeted policy interventions will be critical in positioning India as a global AI hub. The report identifies six key pillars for India to reach its full potential in building a world-leading and AI-ready ecosystem. These pillars are real estate, power and utilities infrastructure, connectivity and network infrastructure, compute infrastructure, talent and policy framework. "For India to accelerate its AI capabilities and realise its potential, it is necessary to introduce enabling policies to support the sector. India must develop its AI-ready infrastructure to meet this rising demand for data analytics and processing,' said S Anjani Kumar, Partner, Deloitte India. 'Moreover, strengthening research and development (R&D), improving talent pipelines, securing vernacular datasets and supportive policies will further accelerate the AI-driven growth. By addressing key areas of growth and investment and promoting stronger public–private partnerships, India can solidify its position as a global AI ecosystem leader,' Kumar added. India's strategic location allows it to serve domestic and global markets effectively, positioning it as a critical node in the global data centre ecosystem. However, India's vision to become a global AI hub demands a relook at the traditional data centre infrastructure. A greater focus on building high-performance compute infrastructure, scalable power and cooling systems and efficient networking infrastructure, with a reconsideration of policy framework, can make India a hotspot for AI-powered data centre development in the coming years,' added Neha Aggarwal, Partner, Deloitte India. While India offers an advantage in data centre real estate with lower land and labour costs, significant new constructions are needed to meet the additional AI data centre capacity. The report highlights how rising interest in colocation models and government initiatives offering incentives under various state government data centre policies are helping drive growth. From a policy perspective, the report suggests that introducing a separate category for data centres in the National Building Code and recognising them under the Essential Services Maintenance Act could further incentivise specialised infrastructure development. Additionally, fast-tracking and simplifying the approvals by setting up data centre facilitation units can help boost the deployment of data centres, it added.
Times of Oman
08-05-2025
- Business
- Times of Oman
AI surge requires 50 million Sq Ft additional real estate, 45 TWH incremental power for data centres by 2030: Deloitte
New Delhi: India could require an additional 45-50 million square feet of real estate space and 40-45 Terawatt Hours (TWH) of incremental power by 2030 to meet the growing demand for AI, according to a report by multinational professional services firm Deloitte. The report further suggests that targeted policy interventions will be critical in positioning India as a global AI hub. The report identifies six key pillars for India to reach its full potential in building a world-leading, AI-ready ecosystem. These pillars are real estate, power and utilities infrastructure, connectivity and network infrastructure, compute infrastructure, talent and policy framework. "For India to accelerate its AI capabilities and realise its potential, it is necessary to introduce enabling policies to support the sector. India must develop its AI-ready infrastructure to meet this rising demand for data analytics and processing," said S Anjani Kumar, Partner, Deloitte India. While India offers an advantage in data centre real estate with lower land and labour costs, significant new constructions are needed to meet the additional AI data centre capacity, highlights the report. From a policy perspective, the report suggests that introducing a separate category for data centres in the National Building Code and recognising them under the Essential Services Maintenance Act could further incentivise specialised infrastructure development. Additionally, fast-tracking and simplifying the approvals by setting up data centre facilitation units can help boost the deployment of data centres, the report adds. The rapid expansion of data centres in India intensifies pressure on the country's power infrastructure, creating an urgent need for enhanced transmission capabilities and grid stability. The report further add that substantial investments are needed to expand generation capacity, upgrade infrastructure and better integrate renewable energy sources, which are supported by advancements in energy-efficient cooling and offshore and onshore power sourcing. Compute infrastructure is a critical component of AI data centre operations. "A greater focus on building high-performance compute infrastructure, scalable power and cooling systems and efficient networking infrastructure, with a reconsideration of policy framework, can make India a hotspot for AI-powered data centre development in the coming years," said Neha Aggarwal, Partner, Deloitte India. To stay competitive, the report suggests that India must urgently boost Graphics Processing Unit (GPU) supply, promote GPU-as-a-Service (GPUaaS) and attract foreign investment to build Exaflop-scale capacity with high-performance GPUs.
Entrepreneur
05-05-2025
- Business
- Entrepreneur
Smaller, Smarter, Stronger: How SLMs Are Fueling India's Grassroots Tech Growth
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own. You're reading Entrepreneur India, an international franchise of Entrepreneur Media. After the buzz around Large Language Models (LLMs), the next big wave in artificial intelligence (AI) is being led by Small Language Models (SLMs). These compact, efficient, and context-aware models are fast becoming a cornerstone of India's digital ambitions—especially for bridging the digital divide and enabling inclusive innovation across Tier-2, Tier-3, and rural regions. SLMs, unlike their heavyweight counterparts, require significantly less computational power. They typically operate with a few million to a few billion parameters—far less than LLMs like ChatGPT-4, which is estimated to have around 1.8 trillion parameters. Despite their smaller size, these models are proving powerful enough to drive real-world impact, especially in linguistically and culturally diverse markets like India. According to MarketsandMarkets, the global SLM market stand at USD 0.93 billion in 2025 and is projected to reach USD 5.45 billion by 2032, expanding at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 28.7 per cent. This surge reflects a growing belief among Indian businesses and policymakers that SLMs are more aligned with the nation's unique digital needs. Why India needs SLMs India's linguistic diversity, regional disparities, and mobile-first user base make SLMs particularly compelling. S Anjani Kumar, Partner at Deloitte India explains, "Developing a few specialised small language models over a single general-purpose large language model is better suited because the problem statements in India are diverse and unique. Over time, organisations will build a model garden and could deploy bespoke models for specific use—for example, an SLM for the finance function in an insurance company." Neeti Sharma, CEO of TeamLease Digital, echoes the sentiment by emphasising infrastructure advantages, "SLMs are cheaper to build and run. They don't need big servers or fast internet—they can work on mobile phones and basic devices. This makes them perfect for villages and small towns where internet and electricity can be a problem. They also save energy and keep data safe by running on local systems." As per the PIB, 95.15 per cent of Indian villages have 3G/4G internet access as of April 2024, making low-resource AI models like SLMs practical for rural deployment. India's mobile-centric market further strengthens the case for SLMs. According to Statcounter (April 2025), mobile phones account for 79.49 per cent of web traffic in India, compared to just 19.9 per cent from desktops. The real-world impact In key sectors such as governance, healthcare, education, and banking, SLMs are beginning to demonstrate measurable impact. Priyanka Kulkarni, Manager – Telecom, Media and Technology at Aranca says, "SLMs support local data processing, aligning with India's data sovereignty and privacy goals. They lower the barrier to entry for AI innovation. Startups, research labs, and even state governments can build and iterate AI models without massive datasets or supercomputing resources." Referring to recent independent findings, Kulkarni notes that vertical-specific SLMs might deliver tangible results. For instance, in the BFSI sector, companies could achieve up to 70 per cent cost reduction in contact centres and a 75 per cent decrease in delinquency rates through vernacular AI adoption. Adding to this, Neeti Sharma says, "SLMs are helping banks approve loans faster, aiding AIIMS with local-language medical advice, and supporting tribal students through regionally tailored content. They're transforming access and equity across sectors." Building trust and inclusion Beyond performance, SLMs are advancing ethical AI principles by ensuring inclusivity and local relevance. Ankush Sabharwal, Founder and CEO of CoRover, which is building BharatGPT Lite in 14 Indian languages says,"We ensure accuracy by training our SLMs on rich, multilingual datasets. Bias mitigation is achieved through balanced datasets representing all regions and communities. Local relevance is maintained with continuous refinement based on user feedback." This approach has enabled virtual assistants developed by CoRover to assist institutions such as IRCTC, LIC, MaxLife, and local police departments, improving citizen interaction and support in regional languages. Economic empowerment through AI SLMs hold the potential to unlock opportunities for Bharat's next 500 million users, many of whom remain on the fringes of the digital economy. Mahesh Kumar, CPTO and Co-founder of Gigin AI elaborates, "SLMs transform technology from daunting to user-friendly by enabling AI that understands regional contexts, speaks local languages, and operates on affordable devices. They enable students to learn in their mother tongue, workers to search for jobs through voice commands, and farmers to get agriculture advice in their dialect." Such grassroots-level access to technology is key to democratising economic participation and reducing urban-rural disparities.
