Meta Partners with Reliance for India AI Data Center

Social media giant Meta, the parent company of Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, has signed a strategic agreement with Reliance Industries to establish its first AI-focused mega data center in India, marking a major expansion of its artificial intelligence infrastructure in South Asia.

The development was officially confirmed by both companies on Wednesday.

Under the agreement, Reliance will build a 168-megawatt data center in Jamnagar, located in the western Indian state of Gujarat. Once completed, the facility will be fully leased by Meta, with provisions allowing future expansion based on growing demand.

India’s Growing AI Market

Meta said the investment reflects the importance of India’s vast user base and rapidly expanding digital economy. India remains the company's largest market for several of its platforms, particularly WhatsApp.

According to a recent report by global consulting firm IMARC Group, India’s data center market is expected to nearly double and reach $13.11 billion by 2034, driven by digital transformation, increased cloud adoption, and rising AI workloads.

Industry observers view the Meta-Reliance partnership as a strategic move to secure a significant share of this expanding market.

Longstanding Partnership

The collaboration builds on an existing relationship between the two companies.

In 2020, Meta invested $5.7 billion in Jio Platforms, Reliance’s telecommunications and digital services arm.

Later, in August 2025, Meta and Reliance launched a joint initiative to develop AI platforms and enterprise solutions for businesses in India using Meta’s open-source Llama AI models.

The project initially attracted investment commitments worth 8.55 billion Indian rupees (approximately $89.67 million), with Reliance contributing 70 percent and Meta providing the remaining 30 percent.

Expanding AI Infrastructure

Technology analysts note that while rivals such as OpenAI, Google, and Microsoft are investing heavily in building their own AI infrastructure worldwide, Meta is leveraging Reliance’s established strengths in land, power, and logistics to expand its AI capabilities in Asia more efficiently.

Once operational, the Jamnagar facility is expected to significantly enhance the speed, performance, and reliability of Meta’s AI-powered services across South Asia, supporting the company’s long-term ambitions in artificial intelligence and digital services.

DBTech/BMT/OR