'Data Centres to Be Schneider's Biggest India Business by 2030'
The Big Forecast — Data Centres as Future Core Business
As AI drives an unprecedented build-out of data centres globally, Schneider Electric expects India to emerge as one of the fastest-growing markets for digital infrastructure
Sumati Sahgal (VP, Data Centres & Secure Power, Greater India, Schneider Electric): data centres could become Schneider Electric's largest business in India by 2030
Current Scale & Growth Trajectory
Until last year, India had ~1.5 GW of data centre capacity
Industry estimates suggest country could add between 6 GW and 10 GW over the coming years — some projections even higher, but even conservative estimates point to massive expansion
Sahgal: "Our core business is electrification and naturally grows alongside this trend because data centres are significant consumers of electrical infrastructure"
Data centre segment currently contributes ~15-20% of Schneider Electric's India business
Momentum gives confidence that data centres will become the company's single-largest business segment in India by 2030
Water Consumption Concerns — Addressed
Concerns are valid but need context: water primarily used for cooling high-density computing environments and managing heat from advanced processors
Historically, most Indian data centres relied on air-cooling technologies — virtually no water impact, but significantly higher power consumption — "that has been the trade-off"
As AI workloads increase, liquid-cooling technologies becoming more relevant — far more efficient for high-density computing; involve some water usage, but impact is controlled and optimised
A third category: technologies like immersion cooling and closed-loop systems, which significantly reduce water consumption, though they require higher upfront investment
Sahgal's view: India could move directly toward liquid-cooling technologies, bypassing the traditional path taken by some mature markets
Sovereign AI — Broader Than Data Localisation
Sovereign AI is important, but discussion is broader than sovereignty alone
Also about keeping data and computing resources closer to users
India is one of the largest user markets for AI applications and platforms
Sectors like defence, banking, and government services require greater control over where data resides and how it's processed — making sovereignty an important driver for infrastructure investments
Whether generative AI tools or digital services, lower latency becomes critical as usage scales — requiring local infrastructure and local data centres
Future won't be limited to a few large data centre campuses — growing need for edge infrastructure located closer to consumers and enterprises
India's Global Ranking Within Schneider Electric
India is Schneider Electric's third-largest market by revenue
Importance goes far beyond sales — India serves as a strategic manufacturing, engineering, and innovation hub
Large share of products sold in India are designed and manufactured locally; many also exported to global markets
India also home to several global R&D centres and international marketing teams
From a workforce perspective, India is Schneider's largest employee base worldwide — ~38,000 employees
Operates 31+ manufacturing facilities across the country, continuing to expand footprint to serve both domestic and international demand
Core Theme:
Schneider Electric's confidence that data centres will become its largest India business by 2030 reflects a broader structural bet — that India's AI-driven digital infrastructure build-out (potentially 6-10 GW of new capacity) will be electrification-intensive by nature, directly benefiting power-infrastructure players. The company's framing of India as simultaneously its third-largest market, largest manufacturing and R&D hub, and largest global workforce base suggests this data-centre opportunity isn't standalone — it's layered onto an already deep, multi-dimensional India strategy spanning sovereignty-driven local infrastructure needs, advanced cooling technology adoption, and export-oriented manufacturing.
View Reddit by Time-Alternative-964 – View Source
