• Reliance Industries plans to build the world’s largest data center in Gujarat, advancing India’s AI infrastructure with NVIDIA's support.
  • Despite progress in AI, India's nascent chipmaking industry and lack of semiconductor fabs pose significant challenges for future developments.

Reliance Industries, led by Mukesh Ambani, is reportedly planning to construct the world’s largest data center in Jamnagar, Gujarat, as part of its broader strategy to strengthen India’s artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure.

Bloomberg News first reported the development, which aligns with Reliance’s efforts to establish a prominent role in the rapidly evolving AI sector.

The project will incorporate advanced AI technologies, with Reliance sourcing AI semiconductors from NVIDIA, a leading global player in AI hardware. Last year, Reliance and NVIDIA announced a partnership during the NVIDIA AI Summit to build AI infrastructure in India. The US-based company committed to providing its Blackwell AI processors for a one-gigawatt data center.

NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang, speaking at the summit, emphasized the importance of local AI development:

“India should not export data to import intelligence. You should not export flour to import bread.”

Mukesh Ambani echoed these sentiments, highlighting India’s potential as a hub for AI innovation:

“India has the best digital connectivity infrastructure outside of the US and China. We can use intelligence to bring prosperity to all.”

In addition to its partnership with Reliance, NVIDIA has also collaborated with the Tata Group to develop AI supercomputers and large language models (LLMs) tailored to India’s diverse linguistic landscape. These initiatives align with the Indian government’s pledge to invest over ₹10,000 crore in AI projects, startups, and LLM development.

However, challenges persist. India’s semiconductor manufacturing industry remains nascent, with no domestically produced chips to date. Establishing fabrication facilities is a capital-intensive and time-consuming process, requiring skilled labor that the country is still working to develop.

Edited by Harshajit Sarmah