Colt Data Centre Services (Colt DCS) and Indian realty firm RMZ announced on Tuesday that they have formed a joint venture to invest US$1.7 billion in data centre development in India.
The 50-50 JV between Colt DCS and RMZ’s infrastructure unit, RMZ Digital Infrastructure Partners (RDIP), will initially focus on expediting development of Colt’s existing data centre sites in Mumbai and Chennai, with an additional third site to be added in future.
Once all phases are completed, the data centres will have a combined capacity of approximately 250MW.
Colt DCS said it will bring its experience in hyperscale data centre development to the JV, while RDIP will leverage RMZ’s long-term relationships with supply chain partners and their Fortune India 500 customers.
RMZ first announced plans to move into the data centre space in April 2023.
“We are witnessing an extraordinary shift in the data centre landscape, driven by accelerating cloud adoption and the AI revolution. At RMZ, we recognize that digital infrastructure is not just an investment theme but a cornerstone of India’s economic future,” said Deepak Chhabria, CEO of RMZ Infrastructure, in a statement. “This is our opportunity to shape the future of data infrastructure in India, and we are ready to rise to the challenge.”
“In terms of our expansion, India remains a strategic country of focus and key in terms of delivering against our aggressive growth strategy,” said Colt DCS CEO Niclas Sanfridsson in a statement. “The partnership with RMZ will provide the opportunity to further accelerate and execute our ambitious plans.”