India, Aug. 31 -- India's operational data-centre capacity stands at roughly 1.4-1.6 GW (2025) and is projected to reach about 5 GW by 2030. This expansion is backed by close to $30 billion in committed investment. The current footprint is spread across 300 facilities in 33 markets, with very large, new hyperscale clusters announced in Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra. Many cities where these data centres are located are already water-stressed, which is raising concerns. AI data centres tend to rely on water-intensive evaporative systems in cooling towers. The quantum of water needed depends on ambient temperature and humidity.

Data centres in India typically consume between 1.5 to 2.5 liters of water per kWh of IT load. A mid-sized 20 MW ...