Meta to open first India data centre in Reliance’s Chennai campus: Report

Social media giant Meta Platforms is planning to set up its first data centre in India, according to a report. The data centre will reportedly be located inside Reliance Industries’ (RIL) Chennai campus and will reduce reliance on servers outside of India allowing Meta’s key apps, including Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, to process user-generated material locally, increasing speed and hopefully, enhance privacy. The financials of the agreement are unknown at the time of writing.

The proposed data centre (via The Economic Times) will be located in the 10-acre campus (MAA10) in the Ambattur Industrial Estate of Chennai. This campus, a joint venture of RIL, Digital Realty and Brookfield Asset Management, has a maximum IT load capacity of up to 100 megawatt (MW).

Reportedly, the agreement between RIL and Meta was discussed during Anant Ambani’s pre-wedding festivities in Jamnagar early last month.

Users to get benefits?
Presently, the Indian users’ data of Meta is serviced at the tech giant’s Singapore centre. With plans to set up four to five nodes across several locations in India, the domestic facility is expected to strengthen Meta’s operational capabilities. It is further anticipated that the partnership will enhance data processing speed along with a speedier information delivery.

Furthermore, it is anticipated that the incorporation of localised advertisement will enhance user satisfaction and reduce transmission expenses, hence yielding advantages for Meta and its user base.