The commitment, backed by Blackstone and Canada Pension Plan Investment Board, would represent one of the largest digital infrastructure investment programmes currently under consideration in India. AirTrunk’s proposed development pipeline spans multiple states and union territories, targeting more than 5GW of data centre capacity to support the next wave of cloud and AI deployment.
The announcement follows AirTrunk’s entry into the Indian market through its acquisition of Lumina CloudInfra in April this year. That deal gave the company an existing development pipeline of 600MW across Mumbai, Chennai and Hyderabad, providing the operational foundation for the broader expansion now being outlined.
Robin Khuda, founder and chief executive of AirTrunk, said the company’s discussions with government representatives during a senior engagement programme this week had reinforced its conviction in the market. “Capital is mobile, and India is creating the conditions for it to thrive,” he said. “We were bullish on India before entering the market through Lumina. Following our discussions with government leaders this week, we’re looking to double down on that commitment.”
Khuda met with federal representatives and ministers in Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh, with discussions focused on power access, renewable energy, water supply, talent development, streamlined approvals and coordination between state and federal governments on strategic infrastructure projects.
AirTrunk pointed to India’s broader policy framework as a significant factor in its investment case. The Indian government’s IndiaAI Mission has attracted more than $1.2 billion in funding, while the India Semiconductor Mission carries an allocation of approximately $9 billion, reflecting a top-down commitment to building digital and AI capability at scale.
The company argued that investment in 5GW of data centre capacity would generate tens of thousands of local jobs across development, construction and operations, with further economic impact through supply chain localisation.
As AI adoption accelerates globally, AirTrunk said countries with the right digital infrastructure would be best placed to capture high-value investment and innovation, and that India was increasingly well positioned to compete for that opportunity.
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