Govt asks Microsoft to locate data centres near power sources, says move can cut costs

Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) Secretary S Krishnan on Monday asked Microsoft to consider locating its future data centre capacity closer to power generation centres, saying this could reduce the cost of transporting electricity over long distances and make such infrastructure more economical.

Speaking at the launch of Microsoft’s fourth India cloud region in Hyderabad, Krishnan said it was easier and more economical to build data centres near power sources than near coastal cable landing hubs such as Chennai.