Data centre capacity to jump to 12 GW as AI fuels demand
Wood Mackenzie projects India’s operational data centre capacity to rise from 2.2 GW in 2025 to 12 GW by 2030, driven by AI and hyperscale cloud investments.
- Installed IT load means the electricity use of data-centre IT equipment such as servers, storage, and networking.
- Data-centre total electricity demand is higher than IT load because cooling and auxiliary systems also consume electricity.
- Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu together account for about 65% of installed IT load currently.
- Future data-centre investments are expected to expand into Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Uttar Pradesh, and Karnataka.
What happened: Wood Mackenzie projects rapid growth in data centre capacity and electricity demand for AI-led workloads
Wood Mackenzie estimates India’s operational data centre capacity will rise to 12 GW by 2030 from 2.2 GW in 2025. The estimate links this scale-up to AI adoption, hyperscale cloud investment, and the expansion of India’s digital economy.
Wood Mackenzie also projects that data centre capacity devoted to AI workloads will grow faster than overall capacity, and that electricity demand from data centres will expand sharply over the long run.
UPSC can treat data centres as an expanding electricity load whose growth is linked to AI adoption, hyperscale cloud investment, and where capacity is sited. Answer focus can stay on load projections, regional siting impacts, and electricity planning rather than on marketing language for AI.
