India, June 26 -- As India rapidly expands its data-centre infrastructure and courts AI investment, it is also creating increasingly favourable conditions for global technology companies. Most recently, Andhra Pradesh attracted international attention by granting Google's planned 1 GW data centre project a rare "deemed DISCOM" licence, allowing the company to procure and manage electricity within its project area and thereby reducing one of the key uncertainties facing large-scale data centre investments.

While the long-term implications of this regulatory shift remain unclear, communities in other emerging data-centre markets are already grappling with the consequences of rapid infrastructure expansion. With an estimated US$60-$70 billi...