The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) does not maintain official records on India’s data centre capacity, relying instead on industry estimates, according to a recent parliamentary committee report. The report, titled "India’s Role in Global Tech Diplomacy, Digital Governance, Outer Space Diplomacy, AI and Emerging Innovations," highlighted this gap while examining the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA). The committee called for verified data to guide international investment decisions.
The parliamentary committee noted MeitY’s candid admission that neither the figure suggesting India hosts nearly 20% of the world’s data nor the estimate that India accounts for only 3% of global data centre capacity is officially verified. The Ministry confirmed that no centralized data on India’s data centre capacity exists, with all figures presented to the committee drawn from industry estimates. The committee emphasized the need for accurate data to address the scale of capacity challenges in the sector.
This lack of official data complicates efforts to assess India’s position in the global data centre market and to attract foreign investment. Verified capacity figures are critical for policy formulation and infrastructure planning, especially as data centre demand grows with digital transformation. The committee’s findings underscore the importance of establishing a reliable data repository to support India’s ambitions in global tech diplomacy and digital governance.
The parliamentary report recommends that the Ministry of External Affairs seek verified data on India’s data centre capacity to better inform policy and investment strategies. The full report is publicly accessible, providing detailed insights into the current state of India’s data centre infrastructure and related governance challenges.