Telangana mulls big data centre, AI infrastructure campus
Hyderabad, June 30
The government of Telangana is exploring the possibility of establishing a big comprehensive data centre and AI infrastructure campus in Telangana, Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy said on Tuesday.
The Chief Minister stated this when Bharti Enterprises Chairman Sunil Bharti Mittal paid a courtesy call on him in Hyderabad.
During the meeting, the Chief Minister emphasised the need to focus on the expansion of Airtel's digital, cloud, cybersecurity, and AI operations in Hyderabad. The CM also suggested launching the Chandanvelli data centre project soon.
The Chief Minister advised Mittal to nominate a senior executive to coordinate and work with the Telangana government on future investment opportunities and resolve the issue expeditiously.
According to the Chief Minister's Office (CMO), Mittal announced that the Bharti company was considering Hyderabad as the second headquarters for Airtel. He assured that the company will move forward to further increase data centre capacity and also expand fibre connectivity.
CM Revanth Reddy briefed Mittal about the reforms introduced in the Telangana government's education sector, the establishment of Young India Skill University to enhance the skills of the unemployed, upgraded Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs) into ATCs (Advanced Technology Centres) and the development of the polytechnic colleges.
Sunil Mittal announced that scholarships would be provided to students studying in government schools and ATCs through the Bharti Foundation.
The meeting took place at the Bodhi Pavillion at MCRHRD Institute.
Meanwhile, Chief Minister Revanth Reddy inaugurated various development works undertaken with HDFC Bank CSR funds at another event held at MCRHRD.
The event was attended by the newly appointed Chief Secretary Sanjay Jaju, Rajya Sabha Member Vem Narendar Reddy, Bhupalpally MLA Gandra Satyanarayana Rao, CMO OSD Vemula Srinivasulu, Telangana State Trade Promotion Corporation (TSTPC) Chairman Aita Prakash Reddy, and senior HDFC officials.
The Chief Minister flagged off two ambulances. He virtually inaugurated an MRI machine at the Government General Hospital in Bhupalpally.
Speaking on the occasion, the Chief Minister called for liberally sanctioning loans to women's self-help groups.
Stating that the government is establishing logistics parks, godowns, and rice mills in collaboration with women's self-help groups, he said substantial loans needed to be sanctioned for these initiatives.
He noted that women's groups have an excellent track record of loan repayments.
— IANS
Reader Comments
Good move by CM Revanth Reddy to attract big investments. But I'm skeptical about the actual implementation - we've heard many such announcements before. The key is whether Airtel will actually set up operations here or just announce for PR. Also, what about the power supply? Data centres need 24/7 reliable electricity!
As someone working in IT, I'm excited about this! Hyderabad already has good infrastructure compared to many Indian cities. If Airtel makes Hyderabad their second headquarters, it could create thousands of jobs. But I wish they'd also focus on rural connectivity - we need fibre in villages too, not just in cities.
Am I the only one noticing they mentioned Airtel but not other players? What about Jio or BSNL? We need competition to drive prices down and quality up. Also, I hope this doesn't mean more land acquisition - farmers in Telangana have already lost enough land for "development" projects. 🤔
The scholarship announcement for government school students through Bharti Foundation is the real highlight here! Our government schools need all the support they can get. If every company that invests in Telangana also contributes to education, our state will truly progress. Good to see CSR being taken seriously.
Interesting development. Having worked in data centres in the US, I can say Hyderabad has the potential - good talent pool, lower costs, and decent connectivity. But infrastructure needs significant upgrade. The CM mentioning AI is smart - that's where the future is. Hope they follow through on execution.
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