AI Will Reshape Global Economy
FinTech BizNews Service
Mumbai, March 13, 2026: India’s digital infrastructure ambitions took centre stage at the 7th Edition of the CII Datacentre Blueprint Summit 2026, where senior government leaders and industry stalwarts outlined an ambitious roadmap to position India as a global hub for AI-driven digital infrastructure. The discussions highlighted the scale of opportunity emerging from Artificial Intelligence, cloud adoption, and the rapid expansion of the digital economy, while emphasizing the need for large-scale investments in data centres, sustainable power, and high-speed connectivity.
Delivering the keynote perspective, Shri Jaykumar Rawal, Minister for Marketing & Protocol, FDI, Diaspora Affairs & Outreach, Government of Maharashtra, underscored the strategic role of data centres in the AI-driven global economy.
“AI is rapidly reshaping the global economy, and the infrastructure that powers it will determine which nations lead this transformation. Data centres have become the factories of the digital era—processing, storing, and enabling the intelligence that drives modern economies. As India’s digital ecosystem expands and demand for AI, cloud computing, and digital services accelerates, building world-class digital infrastructure will be critical for the country to emerge as a global hub for next-generation technologies.”
Adding to the discussion, Dr. Deependra Singh Kushwah, IAS, Development Commissioner (Industries), Government of Maharashtra, emphasized the importance of sustained policy support and investment in enabling India’s technology ecosystem.
“India’s emergence as a major destination for global investments has been supported by strong policy frameworks, infrastructure development, and a rapidly expanding talent base. As digital transformation accelerates, continued investment in technology infrastructure, data centres, and connectivity will be essential to sustain growth and strengthen India’s position in the global digital economy.”
Highlighting the growing importance of digital infrastructure in the AI era, Shri Kaustubh Dhavse, Chief Advisor to the Chief Minister of Maharashtra, noted that data centres will play a critical role in enabling the next phase of economic growth.
“In the AI century, data centres will be the silent engines powering economies. As demand for AI, cloud services, and digital platforms continues to rise, building scalable, sustainable, and resilient digital infrastructure will be essential. Strong collaboration between government and industry will be key to ensuring that India develops the ecosystem needed to support this transformation.”
Expanding the conversation to emerging digital infrastructure ecosystems across the country, Shri Bhaskar Kattamneni, Secretary, IT, Electronics & Communications, Government of Andhra Pradesh, highlighted the rapid rise of new technology hubs.
“India’s AI opportunity is creating new centres of digital infrastructure development across the country. With strong policy support, growing access to renewable energy, expanding connectivity, and the development of skilled talent pools, several regions are emerging as attractive destinations for large-scale data centre investments that will support the future AI economy.”
Echoing the need for a nationwide expansion of digital infrastructure, Shri Rajat Kumar, Secretary, Commerce & Industries, Government of Chhattisgarh, pointed out that the scale of India’s AI opportunity will require multiple states to step forward.
“India could soon have a billion AI users, and that scale will demand significant expansion of digital infrastructure capacity. Meeting this opportunity requires a national ecosystem where multiple regions contribute to building resilient, high-capacity infrastructure supported by competitive power availability, strong connectivity, and forward-looking policies.”
Industry leaders at the summit emphasized that digital infrastructure will be a central pillar of India’s long-term economic ambitions. Mr. Rishi Kumar Bagla, Chairman, CII Western Region 2025–26 and CMD, BG Electricals and Electronics India Ltd., highlighted the strategic role of technology in India’s growth trajectory.
“Data is the new oil, and data centres are the infrastructure that will power the intelligence economy. As India moves towards the vision of Viksit Bharat, technology and manufacturing will be the twin engines of growth. Building world-class digital infrastructure today—AI-ready data centres, resilient networks, and sustainable power—will determine how strongly India leads the global technology era tomorrow.”
Industry leaders also emphasized that India is entering a defining decade for digital infrastructure development. Mr. Vir S Advani, Chairman & Managing Director, Blue Star Ltd., pointed out that the country has a historic opportunity to build a globally competitive ecosystem.
“India stands at a defining moment in the global digital infrastructure landscape. With the rapid rise of AI, cloud adoption, and Industry 4.0, demand for high-performance computing infrastructure is accelerating like never before. By focusing on infrastructure readiness, sustainability, and deep collaboration between industry and government, India has a historic opportunity to build a globally competitive, ‘Made-in-India’ data centre ecosystem and position itself as a leading hub for digital infrastructure.”
Looking ahead, Mr. Pratap Mane, Co-Chairman, CII WR Taskforce on Datacenter 2025–26 and President & Country Head – India, Colt Data Center Services, highlighted the scale of expansion required over the next decade.
“Data centres have moved far beyond being IT facilities—they are now sovereign digital infrastructure powering AI, finance, governance, and the modern economy. India has crossed 1 gigawatt of capacity over the past two decades, but the next decade will define our digital future as we scale toward 8–10 gigawatts by 2030. If we align power, connectivity, policy agility, and industry collaboration, India will not just consume digital infrastructure—it will build and lead the global AI ecosystem.”
The summit brought together policymakers, industry leaders, technology experts, and infrastructure developers to deliberate on the future of India’s AI-ready digital ecosystem. Discussions focused on scaling sustainable data centre infrastructure, enabling supportive policy frameworks, strengthening subsea connectivity, and building the power and talent ecosystems required to support the country’s rapidly expanding digital economy.
With AI adoption accelerating across sectors, the discussions at the summit reinforced that building world-class data centre infrastructure will be critical for India’s next phase of economic growth and its emergence as a global digital powerhouse.
