Meta partners with Reliance to launch first AI data centre in India

Meta Platforms has partnered with Reliance Industries to establish its first AI-enabled data centre in India, marking a significant expansion of the US technology company's infrastructure footprint in one of its largest global markets.

According to Reuters, Reliance will build a 168-megawatt data centre in Jamnagar, Gujarat, which Meta will lease with options to expand capacity in the future.

The project represents the latest milestone in a growing strategic relationship between Meta and the conglomerate led by Indian billionaire Mukesh Ambani, as both companies increase their focus on artificial intelligence technologies and digital infrastructure.

India emerges as a strategic AI investment destination

Meta said India's vast user base and rapidly expanding digital economy made the country an attractive location for long-term investment.

The company has hundreds of millions of users across its platforms in India, making the market one of its most important globally.

Key details of the project include:

• Reliance will develop a 168 MW AI-enabled data centre in Jamnagar, Gujarat

• Meta will lease the facility and retain options to scale capacity

• The project will become Meta's first AI-enabled data centre in India

• The facility forms part of a broader AI-focused collaboration between the two companies

The announcement comes as global technology companies race to secure computing infrastructure capable of supporting increasingly complex AI workloads.

Partnership expands beyond AI models

The new data centre project builds on an existing AI partnership between the two companies.

Reuters reported that in August 2025, Meta and Reliance established a joint venture focused on building AI platforms and enterprise tools in India using Meta's Llama AI models.

Under that agreement:

• The partners committed an initial investment of ₹8.55 billion ($89.67 million)

• Reliance contributed 70% of the investment

• Meta contributed 30%

• The venture was created to develop AI products and services for enterprise customers in India

The latest infrastructure agreement suggests the relationship is evolving from AI software and applications into the underlying computing capacity required to support future AI growth.

Data centre market gains momentum

The investment also reflects broader growth across India's data centre sector.

According to Reuters, citing consulting firm IMARC Group, India's data centre market is projected to nearly double to $13.11 billion by 2034.

Several factors are driving that expansion:

• Growing digital transformation initiatives

• Increased cloud adoption among businesses

• Rising demand for AI computing resources

• Expanding digital services consumption

As organisations deploy more AI tools and applications, demand for data storage, processing power and specialised computing infrastructure continues to rise.

A relationship years in the making

The partnership between Meta and Reliance predates the latest AI initiatives.

In 2020, Meta invested $5.7 billion in Jio Platforms, the digital services arm of Reliance Industries. That deal gave Meta a strategic foothold in India's fast-growing digital ecosystem and established one of the most significant technology partnerships in the country.

The latest announcement demonstrates how that relationship is increasingly shifting towards artificial intelligence and infrastructure development.

Building the foundations for AI growth

As AI adoption accelerates globally, access to reliable computing infrastructure is becoming a competitive necessity for technology companies. By partnering with Reliance on a large-scale facility in Gujarat, Meta is securing dedicated capacity in a market it considers strategically important.

The project also highlights India's growing role in the global AI ecosystem, not only as a consumer market but as a destination for the infrastructure investments required to power the next generation of AI services and applications.