India is targeting a larger role in digital infrastructure, with Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal citing about $200 billion in potential data center investment tied to the country’s long-term growth ambitions.
Moneycontrol and NDTV Profit reported that Goyal cited the figure at the India-Netherlands Business Forum in The Hague on Oct. 26. The reports differed on the schedule: Moneycontrol gave seven to eight years, while NDTV Profit said eight. A Sept. 2 statement from the Ministry of Commerce and Industry described the investment as potential but gave no timeline. The ministry linked data centers, semiconductors, artificial intelligence and manufacturing to India’s goal of becoming a $30 trillion economy by 2047.
The ministry said hyperscalers represented more than 80% of data center uptake in the first half of 2026. It also reported that industry discussions addressed power availability, land, regulatory matters and fiscal issues—conditions relevant to expansion.
The FY 2026-27 Budget proposed a tax break through 2047 for foreign companies providing global cloud services from data centers in India, with service arrangements made through an Indian reseller. The Ministry of Electronics and IT described the measure as intended to encourage long-term investment. In a Feb. 1 statement, the ministry said about $70 billion in data center investment was underway and about $90 billion had been announced. It did not say whether those figures overlap with or are included in the later $200 billion estimate.
Goyal also projected 7.5% economic growth “this year,” Moneycontrol and NDTV Profit reported. Neither account defined the period. The Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation estimated real GDP growth of 7.7% for FY 2025-26 in provisional figures released June 5.
NDTV Profit reported that Goyal urged Dutch businesses to “co-create, co-manufacture.” The forum agenda included roundtables on high technology, innovation, renewable energy, logistics and manufacturing.
