Meta and Reliance Are Building a Massive 168 MW AI Data Center in India

Meta and Indian industrial conglomerate Reliance Industries announce a strategic partnership for the construction of a 168 megawatt AI data center in Jamnagar, Gujarat. The project is the first 'built-to-suit' data center capacity in India for Meta and is set to be delivered within two years, powered by renewable energy and desalinated seawater.

Meta and Indian industrial conglomerate Reliance Industries announced a strategic partnership on June 10, 2026, for the development of an advanced AI data center in Jamnagar, Gujarat. With a capacity of no less than 168 megawatts, this project will be one of the largest AI infrastructure investments in India to date. It marks a crucial step in Meta's global AI strategy and India's growing role as a global hub for AI infrastructure.

168 Megawatts of Computing Power for Meta's AI Services

The planned data center in Jamnagar will be built with an initial capacity of 168 megawatts, with an option to scale up capacity further as demand grows. Reliance Industries takes full responsibility for construction and development, while Meta will lease and use the capacity. This is the first time Meta has had a so-called 'built-to-suit' data center developed in India — a facility fully tailored to the company's specific technical requirements.

The computing power delivered by this data center will be directly deployed to support Meta's most popular platforms, including Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, as well as the company's rapidly growing AI services — including Meta AI, the generative AI assistant that is being increasingly integrated into Meta's products. For those who want to understand how we got here, our page on the history of artificial intelligence offers valuable context.

Reliance Builds, Meta Leases: A Smart Partnership Structure

The structure of the partnership is remarkably well-conceived. Reliance Industries brings its extensive construction expertise and local knowledge to build the facility, but Meta will not own the infrastructure itself. Instead, Meta leases the capacity, while the technology company remains responsible for all electricity and water costs. This model allows Meta to scale quickly without having to make massive capital investments in physical infrastructure on Indian soil.

The project is set to be delivered within two years — an ambitious but achievable timeline given Reliance's construction capabilities. The announcement underscores the mutual trust both parties place in this partnership.

Sustainability as the Foundation of the Project

What is particularly notable about this data center is its strong focus on sustainability. The entire complex will run on renewable energy, which aligns with the climate goals of both Meta and the Indian government. In addition, the project uses desalinated seawater for cooling, rather than precious fresh water. This is an innovative approach that significantly reduces pressure on local freshwater sources — an increasingly urgent issue as AI data centers worldwide grow exponentially in size and energy consumption.

Meta has invested heavily in recent years in making its global infrastructure more sustainable. The Jamnagar project fits perfectly into that strategy and sends a clear signal to the industry: large-scale AI infrastructure and environmentally conscious business practices can go hand in hand. Discover more about sustainable AI applications in our comprehensive overview.

Why Jamnagar? The Strategic Advantages at a Glance

The choice of Jamnagar is far from coincidental. The location in the Indian state of Gujarat offers a range of strategic advantages that make the site particularly well-suited for large-scale AI infrastructure:

• Proximity to submarine cables: Jamnagar is located close to the western landing stations for international submarine cables, guaranteeing low latency for data traffic between India and the rest of the world.
• Jio's fiber network: Reliance owns, through subsidiary Jio, one of India's most extensive fiber optic networks, offering excellent connectivity.
• Renewable energy: Gujarat is one of India's frontrunners in solar and wind energy, essential for sustainable data center operations.
• Access to seawater: The coastal location makes desalination of seawater for cooling both technically and economically feasible.

India as a New AI Infrastructure Hub

This project is more than a business partnership — it is a clear signal about the geopolitical shift in the global tech industry. India is positioning itself emphatically as a serious player in global AI infrastructure. With its enormous population of more than 1.4 billion people, a rapidly growing digital economy, and an increasingly improving energy infrastructure, the country is attracting more and more major technology companies.

For Meta, which reaches nearly four billion people worldwide through its platforms, a strong presence in India is of strategic importance. India is, after all, one of the largest user markets for Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp. A local AI infrastructure not only reduces latency for Indian users, but also enables Meta to innovate faster for the specific needs of this market.

Looking Ahead: The AI Infrastructure Race Intensifies

Meta and Reliance's announcement fits into a broader, global trend in which technology companies are investing hundreds of billions in AI data centers. The demand for computing power is growing exponentially, driven by large language models, generative AI, and the rise of autonomous AI agents. Whoever controls the best and most scalable infrastructure will retain a decisive competitive advantage in the AI race of the coming years.

With this data center in Jamnagar, Meta demonstrates that it fully understands the seriousness of that race. The company invests not only in models and software, but also in the physical layer on which those models run. Keep up with developments via more AI news on our site, or delve deeper into the technology behind modern AI data centers via our knowledge base.

Reliance Industries

---

Source: Reliance Industries