Meta Leases 168-MW AI Data Center from Reliance in Jamnagar
Cover image from techcrunch.com, which was analyzed for this article
Meta agreed to a major AI data center partnership in India with Reliance to expand infrastructure. The move reflects hyperscalers' global push amid rising AI demand.
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Wednesday, June 10, 2026 — Tech
Meta's lease expands its global AI footprint while tying India more closely into hyperscale infrastructure networks. The transaction reflects wider competition for power and land suited to AI workloads, with policy incentives accelerating the shift. Execution details and long-term capacity utilization remain to be seen in follow-up reporting.
What outlets missed
Neither report provided independent verification of the $400 billion AI ecosystem investment figure cited by CNBC from an unnamed source. TechCrunch's higher 8-gigawatt capacity projection by 2030 was not corroborated by CNBC or Nomura. Details on whether the Jamnagar facility will support only Meta's global AI needs or also serve third-party customers remain unaddressed in both accounts. The exact mechanism for Meta's renewable energy matching across its Indian operations was not broken down beyond the headline commitments.
Global demand for computing power to train and run AI models is driving technology companies to secure new data center capacity in emerging markets. Meta Platforms has leased a 168-megawatt AI-enabled facility from Reliance Industries in Jamnagar, Gujarat, marking the company's first dedicated AI infrastructure project in India.
The agreement, announced June 10, 2026, builds on a relationship that began with Meta's $5.7 billion investment in Reliance's Jio Platforms in 2020 and continued with a $100 million joint venture in 2025 focused on enterprise AI solutions. Reliance will design, construct, and operate the Jamnagar site, which is scheduled for completion within two years and includes expansion options. The facility will run on renewable energy and use desalinated seawater for cooling, with Meta covering the full cost of energy and water for its operations.
India's data center capacity has grown from roughly 375 megawatts in 2020 to about 1.5 gigawatts in 2025, according to government figures cited by TechCrunch. Industry projections vary: some estimates point to more than 8 gigawatts by 2030, while Nomura forecasts 7 gigawatts. The Indian government offers tax exemptions through 2047 for foreign cloud providers serving overseas clients from Indian facilities, a policy referenced in both reports with slightly different phrasing.
Meta separately contracted nearly 1 gigawatt of additional renewable energy capacity in India through CleanMax and Fourth Partner Energy. Other companies including Microsoft, Amazon, Google, OpenAI, Uber, Blackstone-backed AirTrunk, Adani, and Tata Consultancy Services have announced data center or AI infrastructure plans in the country. Neither Meta nor Reliance disclosed the financial value of the Jamnagar lease or the specific AI workloads planned for the site.
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