en.Wedoany.com Reported - Indian IT services provider HCLTech plans to build its first owned data center in Bhubaneswar, Odisha, a facility optimized for artificial intelligence workloads, with an investment of INR 7.3 billion. The project also includes a global development center, expected to create 6,000 high-skilled jobs. According to a report in Business Standard on Wednesday, a senior official revealed that HCLTech and the Odisha government plan to sign a memorandum of understanding on Friday, with company Chairperson Roshni Nadar Malhotra and Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi attending the ceremony.

HCLTech has long provided data center-related services to clients, including infrastructure management and cloud transformation, but has not owned its own data centers in India. This construction plan marks a strategic shift toward owned facilities. Previously, HCLTech announced an investment of INR 35 billion (approximately USD 364 million) in the data center business through a newly established subsidiary, with the related data center network expected to expand to 50 MW capacity. Company CEO C Vijayakumar stated that driven by the rapid adoption of artificial intelligence, global data center demand is experiencing unprecedented growth, projected to nearly triple by 2030, with the Indian market growing at an even higher rate.

The facility may be located in Info Valley Phase II in Bhubaneswar to support next-generation computing workloads, enabling HCLTech to deliver AI, cloud computing, cybersecurity, digital engineering, and enterprise technology services to global clients from Odisha. Bhubaneswar is gradually becoming a digital infrastructure hub in eastern India, already hosting the National Informatics Centre (NIC) data center and a state-level data center. A high-security data center of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), costing INR 1.69 billion, is nearing completion in Info Valley. The Adani Group has also announced plans to build a hyperscale data center costing INR 8 billion, and Odisha is developing a next-generation data center at a cost of INR 26.648 billion.

HCLTech's investment is one of 23 industrial projects recently approved by the State Level Single Window Clearance Authority (SLSWCA), led by Odisha Chief Secretary Anu Garg. The project, focusing on AI-optimized infrastructure and high-skilled job creation, aligns with the state's digital transformation goals, positioning Bhubaneswar as a key player in India's data center landscape.