Meta to establish its first Indian data centre in Reliance's Chennai campus: Report

Mark Zuckerberg-led Meta Platforms, the parent company of Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, is likely to open its first data centre in India within the Reliance Industries campus in Chennai, ET reported.

The move follows discussions during Anant Ambani's pre-wedding festivities, shedding light on the collaborative efforts between two giants in their respective fields.

Establishing the centre in Chennai's Ambattur Industrial Estate

The report said the company will set up a data centre on a 10-acre campus known as MAA10, located in Chennai's Ambattur Industrial Estate. The strategic choice leverages the campus's high IT load capacity of up to 100 MW, a joint venture between RIL, Digital Realty, and Brookfield Asset Management.

Importantly, this choice highlights Chennai's growing importance as a key location for data centres, meeting Meta's need for a strong infrastructure to serve its large number of users in India.

Localizing for a better experience

With this new facility, Meta plans to move data processing for its Indian users from Singapore to India. The change will improve operations, including setting up four to five nodes across India to speed up data processing. 

These upgrades are expected to make content delivery quicker, lower transmission costs, and provide localized ads, benefiting both Meta and its users in India.

The decision to localize data processing facilities within India is also seen as a response to the government's tightening scrutiny over large artificial intelligence (AI) models.

Facilitating smoother operations

Meta's Llama series is extensively used by Indian enterprises, so having a local presence could facilitate smoother operations and compliance with local regulations. Moreover, this move aligns with the broader trend of global tech companies seeking to establish data storage facilities in India.