(Reuters) - Facebook-parent Meta (META.O) said on Wednesday that it has tied up with Indian billionaire Mukesh Ambani's Reliance Industries (RELI.NS) for the U.S. company's first AI-enabled data center in India.billionaire Mukesh Ambani's Reliance Industries (RELI.NS) for the U.S. company's first AI-enabled data center in India.
Reliance will build a data center with 168 MW capacity in Jamnagar in the western Indian state of Gujarat, which Meta will lease, with options to scale, according to the statement. Meta said India's massive user base and fast-growing digital economy make it an ideal place to invest.
India's data center market is projected to nearly double to $13.11 billion by 2034, fueled by digital transformation, cloud adoption and rising AI workloads, according to consulting firm IMARC Group.
In August last year, Meta and Reliance formed a joint venture to build AI platforms and tools for enterprises in India, using Meta's Llama models. Reliance and Meta had jointly committed an initial investment of 8.55 billion rupees ($89.67 million), split 70% and 30% respectively.
In 2020, Meta invested $5.7 billion in Jio Platforms, a Reliance entity. ($1 = 95.3500 Indian rupees)