- The short — what’s changing now
- Location & power: corridor map
- Capex per MW & operating math
- Rack density & cooling choices
- Renewables, storage & SLAs
- Go-to-market lanes: hyperscaler vs local
- State & developer checklists
- FAQ
The short
- Speed to power: Fastest sites pair ready-to-serve land with 24×7 firm power and clear open-access pathways.
- Capex/MW: Larger campuses compress build costs; retrofit city-core sites pay premiums but win on latency.
- Density: AI racks (20–60 kW) push liquid cooling pilots; retail colocation stays ~6–10 kW/rack.
- Green SLAs: Long-tenor RE + storage contracts become commercial, not just ESG, levers.
- Local edge: Quicker permitting, city fiber, and tailored SLAs help local players win BFSI/media workloads.
Location & power — practical corridor map
Tier-1 metros
- Mumbai–Navi Mumbai–Thane: Subsea access, talent, but land/power premiums; ideal for interconnect-rich campuses.
- Delhi–NCR: Peering density and government workloads; watch air-cooling limits and water constraints.
- Chennai: Cable landings + RE procurement options; cyclone hardening required.
Emerging corridors
- Hyderabad: Land bank + power availability; enterprise DC consolidations.
- Pune: Lower seismic risk; strong fiber backhaul; good for secondary campuses.
- Gujarat coast: Port proximity + industrial RE; watch salt-air corrosion mitigations.
Capex per MW & operating math (illustrative)
| Build type | Capex/MW (₹ cr) | PUE (steady) | Time-to-power | Use case |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Greenfield campus (100+ MW) | ₹50–65 | 1.35–1.45 | 12–18 months | Hyperscale, AI clusters |
| City-core retrofit (5–20 MW) | ₹70–90 | 1.45–1.60 | 9–12 months | Low-latency retail colo |
| Edge/metro micro-DC (≤2 MW) | ₹80–100 | 1.40–1.55 | 6–9 months | CDNs, telco, fintech |
Rule of thumb: Every 0.1 improvement in PUE at ₹8–10/kWh can shift power opex by ~₹0.7–1.0 cr/MW/year.
Rack density & cooling choices
- Retail colo: 6–10 kW/rack on efficient air-cool; hot-aisle containment standard.
- AI/accelerated: 20–60 kW/rack requires liquid assistance (rear-door HEX, direct-to-chip pilots).
- Design pivot: Blend air today with liquid-ready loops to avoid stranded capex.
Renewables, storage & SLAs
Contracts
- 10–15 yr open-access RE with annual shape guarantees.
- On-site BESS for ride-through + peak-shaving; diesel only for last-resort backup.
- SLA clauses tie renewable shape to penalties/credits.
What to watch
- Grid congestion windows; queue positions for sub-stations.
- Curtailed RE hours and seasonal derates; model worst-case shape.
- Water usage permits for evaporative systems; drift to adiabatic/dry coolers.
Go-to-market lanes — who wins where
| Lane | Hyperscaler edge | Local operator edge | Buyer signals |
|---|---|---|---|
| AI training clusters | Capex depth, global tooling, supply chain | — | 20–60 kW/rack, liquid ready, campus scale |
| Enterprise retail colo | Marketplace pull-through | Permitting speed, city latency, custom SLAs | BFSI, media, healthcare workloads |
| Sovereign/regulatory | Compliance frameworks | Local control, data-residency comfort | Explicit residency, audit trails |
| Edge/metro nodes | CDN aggregation | Fiber access, micro-sites, last-mile ops | OTT, telco, payments |
State & developer checklists
States
- Single-window clearances with guaranteed timelines.
- 24×7 power at industrial tariffs; open-access clarity.
- Fiber ROW fast-track; multi-path route diversity.
Developers
- Liquid-ready designs; modular blocks for fast ramps.
- RE + BESS stacking; explicit shape SLAs.
- City peering + carrier-hotel partnerships to cut churn.
FAQ
- Is liquid cooling mandatory? Only for sustained >20 kW/rack; most retail workloads stay on advanced air with liquid-ready options.
- Does green power raise costs? Long-tenor contracts can lower opex volatility; storage smooths shape penalties.