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Sector · Data Centres
Data centre consulting in India
India's data centre build-out is constrained by power, land and execution - not demand. We help operators, investors and suppliers pick winnable positions.
Our POV · 2026
Data centre consulting in India
India's data centre capacity is set to triple as hyperscaler expansion, data localisation rules and AI workloads converge on a market with structural undersupply. Mumbai and Chennai dominate today; Hyderabad, Delhi NCR and Pune are scaling; and state governments compete with dedicated data centre policies. But the binding constraints are unglamorous: power availability and tariffs, land aggregation, fibre routes, water for cooling, and the operational talent to run AI-density halls. GreyRadius runs feasibility, siting, partner and market entry work for operators, investors, and the equipment and services ecosystem that the build-out drags with it.
Why now? Hyperscaler capacity commitments for 2025-2027 are being placed now - entrants after this wave face anchor-less economics
Timing window
Why 2025–2027 is the entry window.
- Hyperscaler capacity commitments for 2025-2027 are being placed now - entrants after this wave face anchor-less economics
- State incentive windows and power allocations are being consumed by first movers
- AI training workload demand is resetting design standards - platforms built this cycle define the competitive baseline
~1
GW installed, 3x pipeline by 2030
USD 25B+
committed capital
Data
localisation driving hyperscale demand
Research Signals
Five data points that matter.
India's installed data centre capacity of roughly 1 GW is projected to triple by 2030
Committed capital to Indian data centre projects exceeds USD 25 billion
Mumbai accounts for close to half of national capacity, with Chennai second
AI-ready halls demand 3-5x the power density of legacy colocation designs
Multiple states offer dedicated data centre policies with stamp duty and electricity duty waivers
Market Intelligence
What the data says.
India's installed data centre capacity of roughly 1 GW is projected to triple by 2030
Committed capital to Indian data centre projects exceeds USD 25 billion
Mumbai accounts for close to half of national capacity, with Chennai second
AI-ready halls demand 3-5x the power density of legacy colocation designs
Regulatory Landscape
What you need to be compliant.
Four regulatory requirements every market entrant must navigate.
| Regulatory body | Requirement | Timeline | Complexity |
|---|---|---|---|
| State data centre policies (Maharashtra, TN, Telangana, UP) | Incentives - stamp duty, electricity duty, single-window approvals | 2-6 months negotiation | Medium |
| State discoms / open access regulators | Power procurement, open access and renewable energy sourcing terms | 4-12 months | High |
| MeitY / sectoral regulators (RBI, IRDAI) | Data localisation mandates shaping demand and tenant requirements | Ongoing | Medium |
| Environmental and local approvals | Construction consents, water use and diesel genset norms | 3-9 months | Medium |
Competitive Landscape
Who else is in the market.
Understanding who you’re up against – and where GreyRadius gives you the edge.
Global real estate consultancies
Their gap: Land and transaction focus without power strategy or workload-level demand analysis.
GreyRadius difference: We treat power procurement and demand quality as the core of the TEV, not appendices.
Global strategy houses
Their gap: Strong hyperscaler relationships but priced for platform-level mandates only.
GreyRadius difference: We serve mid-size operators, suppliers and funds at boutique economics with the same analytical depth.
Local liaison consultants
Their gap: State government access without bankable analysis.
GreyRadius difference: We combine state negotiation support with investment-grade feasibility work.
Market Reality
What makes this market hard.
- Power is the real product: Renewable power procurement, open access rules and grid reliability vary sharply by state. AI-density campuses live or die on multi-hundred-MW power roadmaps that must be secured years before revenue.
- Demand is concentrated and negotiating power is asymmetric: Hyperscalers anchor the market but extract aggressive terms from new entrants. Operators without differentiated positions - location, power cost, delivery speed - become price takers.
- State incentive and approval regimes differ materially: Data centre policies in Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, UP and Karnataka offer different stamp duty, power tariff and single-window terms. Siting without policy arbitrage analysis leaves margin on the table.
Our Work
What we solve for clients.
If you recognise your situation below, we can help.
Power is the real product
Renewable power procurement, open access rules and grid reliability vary sharply by state. AI-density campuses live or die on multi-hundred-MW power roadmaps that must be secured years before revenue.
Demand is concentrated and negotiating power is asymmetric
Hyperscalers anchor the market but extract aggressive terms from new entrants. Operators without differentiated positions - location, power cost, delivery speed - become price takers.
State incentive and approval regimes differ materially
Data centre policies in Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, UP and Karnataka offer different stamp duty, power tariff and single-window terms. Siting without policy arbitrage analysis leaves margin on the table.
Our Services
How we engage.
Every engagement is grounded in primary research and delivers a measurable outcome.
Service
Opportunity Assessment
Demand mapping by market and workload class - hyperscale, colocation, edge, AI training - with absorption and pricing analysis.
Service
Feasibility & TEV
Site and campus TEV covering power procurement, land, fibre, water, capex phasing and state incentive stacks.
Service
Market Entry Execution
Land and power partner screening, anchor tenant strategy and state government negotiation support.
Service
Pitchbook & Fundraising
Investment materials and diligence support for platform raises and asset transactions.
Real mandates
What these engagements actually look like.
Anonymised snapshots from completed mandates.
Gulf-based data centre platform
Problem: India entry decision with three candidate markets and no local team.
What we did: Ran demand and absorption analysis across Mumbai, Chennai and Hyderabad, built power procurement options per site and screened land aggregation partners.
✓ Client entered one market with a secured power roadmap and an anchor tenant LOI within 12 months.
European cooling systems supplier
Problem: AI-density retrofits creating demand the client's India channel could not reach.
What we did: Mapped the operator and EPC decision chain, sized the retrofit and new-build opportunity by cooling architecture, and restructured channel coverage.
✓ Client won specification positions with 2 major operators and grew India order intake 50% in a year.
Infrastructure fund
Problem: Diligence on an Indian colocation platform with aggressive expansion claims.
What we did: Commercial diligence covering contracted vs pipeline revenue quality, power cost trajectory, and hyperscaler concentration risk with 20+ market interviews.
✓ Fund invested at revised terms with expansion milestones tied to pre-leasing evidence.
Delivery process
How a typical engagement runs.
Weeks 1-3
Market and workload demand map with absorption and pricing analysis
Separates contracted demand quality from pipeline optimism
Weeks 4-8
Site TEV with power roadmap, incentives and capex phasing
Power procurement decides viability before design begins
Weeks 9-12
Partner and anchor tenant strategy with negotiation support
Anchor terms set platform economics for a decade
Weeks 13-14
Entry roadmap with approvals calendar and 24-month milestones
Delivery speed is a pricing lever in an undersupplied market
Why GreyRadius.
Primary research-led
80% of our insight comes from first-party interviews with buyers, competitors, and regulators – not secondary data that everyone else has.
Expert-led, AI-enabled delivery
Our AI layer compresses research timelines by 60% and surfaces pattern-matching from 200+ prior mandates – so you get faster, deeper answers.
Outcomes, not reports
We measure success by first contracts signed, capital raised, and markets entered – not deliverables produced. Every mandate has a milestone.
200+
Projects delivered
100+
SaaS & tech clients
80%
Primary research-led
4
Countries / offices
Who we work with
The people who commission this work.
If your title is on this list, we have run mandates for people in your role.
Chief Development Officer, data centre operatorHead of India / South Asia, hyperscale infrastructureVP Strategy, colocation platformInvestment Director, infrastructure fundCountry Manager, power and cooling equipment supplierHead of Site Acquisition
Case Studies
Mandates we've run.
When to engage
Five signals you need GreyRadius.
If any of these match your situation, you are at the decision point.
- A hyperscaler RFP or capacity commitment opens in a target Indian market
- Board approves India as part of an Asia data centre platform strategy
- A state announces a data centre policy with time-bound incentive windows
- AI workload demand forces a high-density design and power rethink
- A fund enters exclusivity on an Indian data centre asset or platform
What we prevent
Mistakes companies make without GreyRadius.
Mistake: Securing land before power
Consequence: Stranded sites waiting years for grid connections while competitors deliver
Consequence: Stranded sites waiting years for grid connections while competitors deliver
Mistake: Underwriting on headline demand rather than contracted absorption
Consequence: Utilisation and pricing assumptions that fail within two years
Consequence: Utilisation and pricing assumptions that fail within two years
Mistake: Ignoring state policy arbitrage in siting
Consequence: Cost structures 10-15% worse than competitors in adjacent states
Consequence: Cost structures 10-15% worse than competitors in adjacent states
Mistake: Designing for legacy density in an AI transition market
Consequence: Retrofit capex and lost hyperscaler bids as density requirements jump
Consequence: Retrofit capex and lost hyperscaler bids as density requirements jump
FAQ
Common questions.
Which Indian market should a new data centre platform enter first?+
Mumbai for subsea landing and financial services demand, Chennai for cable diversity and hyperscale expansion, Hyderabad and NCR for state support and enterprise growth. The right answer depends on your power strategy, anchor prospects and capital phasing - we contest markets in the TEV rather than assume the incumbent map.
How binding is the power constraint really?+
It is the binding constraint. Grid allocations, open access rules and renewable procurement options vary by state, and AI-density campuses need multi-hundred-MW roadmaps secured ahead of construction. We build the power case first; everything else follows.
What returns do Indian data centre projects generate?+
Depends on market, tenant mix and power costs; stabilised assets have transacted at attractive yields relative to mature markets, reflecting growth premiums. We model project-level returns in the TEV rather than quoting market averages - this is information, not investment advice, and investment decisions need your own financial advisors.
Does data localisation actually drive demand?+
Yes, in specific segments. RBI payment data rules, sectoral mandates and public sector cloud policies force in-country hosting for defined workloads, underpinning baseline colocation demand beyond hyperscaler growth.
Can GreyRadius support equipment and services suppliers, not just operators?+
Yes. Cooling, power systems, EPC and operations services firms are core clients - we map operator decision chains, size segment demand and run channel and anchor-account strategies through GTM Execution-as-a-Service.
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