Mumbai, with 35 data centers, has become the leading location for growth of data centers business in India, according to a report brought out by CBRE South Asia, a leading real estate firm. The report, titled ‘India Viewpoint: Is India the next frontier for the Data Center Industry’, said Mumbai has led the data center business in India as it is one of the global cable landing locations in the country as cable landing stations or submarine cables are vital international telecommunication links between countries across the world, making them an essential element in telecommunication services including broadband connectivity. The report said Mumbai presently has 4 of the 10 cable landing stations in the country. The report stated that India has seen the growth of data centers across all key cities, including Mumbai, Chennai, Bangalore and Hyderabad. While all cities have strong office markets, Mumbai and Chennai have attracted data center players as they offer cost arbitrage using direct submarine lines/cables. Anshuman Magazine, chairman, India and South-East Asia, CBRE, said India holds massive potential to become the ‘next destination’ for data centers, driven by demand created by businesses. Overall, the data center market outlook looks positive on the back of the availability of land and skilled talent pool along with a huge, untapped market. Moreover, a slew of policy reforms undertaken by the Indian government have generated enthusiasm among overseas investors. Several companies have either amped up their existing DC portfolio or have made plans to do so, he added.
