Shillong, June 29: Global data centre major NTT Group is expanding its presence in major Indian cities and exploring opportunities in tier two cities to establish data centres. The company is also investing in captive renewable power projects in India, in addition to purchasing renewable energy from other sources, according to a top official.
The NTT Group currently operates 16 data centres in Chennai, Bengaluru, Mumbai, and Noida near Delhi. It is in the process of constructing 11 more data centres in these four cities and Kolkata. Additionally, the company is venturing into tier two cities such as Pune, Ahmedabad, Jaipur, Lucknow, and Bhopal, with identified land parcels for future development.
Sharad Sanghi, Chairman of NTT Global Data Centers & Cloud Infrastructure India Pvt Ltd, revealed that the typical investment for a data centre is around $100-150 million. NTT plans to invest approximately $300 million in its data centre in Chennai, which includes one completed centre and one under construction.
Sanghi stated that NTT had previously announced a $2 billion investment, with the Chennai centre being part of that commitment. The company is investing around $500 million annually. He added that India currently ranks third in terms of business for NTT globally and is expected to climb higher due to its significant potential.
Globally, the Japanese group, valued at $108 billion, operates in 20 countries with 1,900 MW of IT load and over 1,000 MW planned for future expansions. In India, the group holds a 22% market share in the data centre industry.
The current capacity utilization of NTT’s data centres stands at approximately 70-80%. Regarding the company’s renewable energy plans, Sanghi mentioned a focus on solar and solar-wind hybrid plants, along with the purchase of power from renewable sources.
CEO and Managing Director Shekhar Sharma added that the IT load of existing data centres is approximately 204 MW, which is projected to increase to 349.2 MW by March 2024 due to expansion projects. Taking into account current and planned expansions, the additional IT load is expected to reach 526.4 MW, bringing the total IT load for NTT in India to 821.8 MW.