India’s data center growth story has gained another landmark chapter. AirTrunk, one of the Asia-Pacific region’s largest hyperscale data center operators, has secured a major step forward for its planned expansion in Maharashtra after receiving a Letter of Intent (LoI) for land allotment in Raigad district.
The announcement came directly from Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, who confirmed that the state government has issued the LoI for AirTrunk’s proposed development at the Raigad Pen Growth Centre, also known as Orange City. The project carries an investment commitment of ₹2 lakh crore (approximately $21 billion) and is expected to deliver a planned capacity of 3 gigawatts. The scale of the proposal places it among the most significant data center investments ever announced in Maharashtra. It also reflects the growing race among global infrastructure providers to secure land, power, and strategic locations capable of supporting the next generation of AI and cloud workloads.
Land Allocation Signals Long-Term Infrastructure Commitment
Fadnavis shared the development on social media platform X, posting photographs from a meeting with AirTrunk Founder and CEO Robin Khuda during the exchange of the Letter of Intent. “Delighted to welcome the CEO of AirTrunk Robin Khuda, to Maharashtra! We exchanged a Letter of Intent for land allotment at the Raigad Pen Growth Centre (Orange City) for their upcoming Data Centre, a massive ₹2 Lakh Crore investment with 3 GW capacity!”
The land allocation marks an important milestone for a project of this scale. Large hyperscale campuses require extensive planning around power availability, transmission infrastructure, network connectivity, water management, and long-term expansion capacity. By securing a dedicated site in Raigad district, AirTrunk moves closer to establishing a substantial digital infrastructure footprint near Mumbai, India’s largest data center market. Industry observers have increasingly viewed Maharashtra as a strategic destination for hyperscale deployments due to its connectivity ecosystem, enterprise concentration, and proximity to international subsea cable landing stations.
AI Demand Reshapes Infrastructure Investment Priorities
The timing of AirTrunk’s announcement aligns with a broader transformation taking place across global infrastructure markets. Hyperscale operators, cloud providers, and AI companies continue to search for locations capable of supporting large-scale compute environments. Unlike traditional data center deployments measured in tens or hundreds of megawatts, multi-gigawatt campuses have emerged as the new benchmark for long-term infrastructure planning. AI training clusters, advanced cloud services, and high-density computing environments are pushing operators toward larger land parcels and deeper utility partnerships. A 3GW development would represent infrastructure on a scale rarely seen in the region. Such capacity has the potential to support multiple phases of development over several years while positioning Maharashtra as a critical node within Asia-Pacific’s expanding digital economy.
Blackstone-Backed Expansion Strengthens Regional Presence
Fadnavis also highlighted the role of Blackstone, which acquired AirTrunk in one of the industry’s largest digital infrastructure transactions. “Backed by Blackstone, AirTrunk’s investment will power Maharashtra’s digital future!” The backing of Blackstone provides AirTrunk with significant financial resources as competition intensifies among hyperscale operators across Asia-Pacific and the Middle East. Capital availability has become increasingly important as operators pursue larger campuses that require substantial investments in power infrastructure, cooling systems, and network connectivity.
The Chief Minister also acknowledged the presence of Australian Consul-General Paul Murphy during the meeting, underscoring the international significance of the investment. Raigad’s location offers strategic advantages for large-scale digital infrastructure projects. The district sits within reach of Mumbai’s commercial ecosystem while providing the land availability required for campus-style developments. For Maharashtra, the proposed project represents more than a real estate allocation. It signals the state’s ambition to become a long-term destination for hyperscale cloud and AI infrastructure investments.
Founded in 2015, AirTrunk established itself as a specialist builder and operator of large-scale hyperscale data centers. The company opened Australia’s first large-scale hyperscale facilities in 2017 and has expanded steadily across the Asia-Pacific and Middle East regions. Its portfolio serves major cloud providers and digital platforms that require high-capacity infrastructure environments. The Maharashtra proposal extends that growth strategy into one of the world’s fastest-expanding digital markets. The Letter of Intent may represent an early stage in the development process, but the numbers alone make the announcement difficult to ignore. A ₹2 lakh crore commitment and a planned 3GW capacity place the project in rare company within the global data center sector. If executed as planned, the AirTrunk campus could become one of India’s most consequential digital infrastructure developments, strengthening Maharashtra’s position at the center of the country’s rapidly evolving AI, cloud, and hyperscale economy.
