Uttar Pradesh is set to establish India’s first dedicated Data Corridor, marking a major step in strengthening the country’s digital infrastructure. The state government has appointed Boston Consulting Group (BCG) to prepare a comprehensive roadmap for the project, with the first phase targeting the development of 6 GW of data centre capacity.
The initiative is being led by the State Transformation Commission, which has tasked BCG with delivering a detailed implementation strategy within six months. The roadmap will identify suitable locations, assess infrastructure requirements and recommend a phased development plan for creating a large-scale data centre ecosystem across the state.
Before finalising project locations, BCG will conduct detailed assessments of land suitability, power availability and water resources—three essential requirements for operating hyperscale data centres. Continuous electricity supply and reliable cooling infrastructure are fundamental for ensuring uninterrupted operations, making these evaluations critical to site selection.
The proposed corridor is expected to attract significant investments. According to project estimates, developing one gigawatt of data centre capacity could require investments of around ₹1 lakh crore, making the overall initiative one of India’s largest digital infrastructure programmes.
In addition to evaluating utilities, the consultancy will undertake geotechnical investigations to determine the structural suitability of proposed sites. These studies will examine soil strength, settlement risks, groundwater availability and seismic resilience to ensure the locations can safely support heavy server infrastructure, cooling equipment and electrical systems over the long term.
Globally, operational data centre capacity currently stands at approximately 120 GW, with the United States accounting for nearly 50 GW, China around 25 GW and Europe about 14 GW. India currently has around 1.7 GW of operational capacity, while another 1.8 GW is under various stages of development, indicating significant room for future expansion.
Uttar Pradesh already hosts nearly 350 MW of operational data centre capacity, and construction of four additional facilities is expected to commence soon. The proposed Data Corridor is intended to accelerate this growth and position the state as a leading destination for digital infrastructure investments.
The initiative aligns with the increasing demand for cloud computing, artificial intelligence, digital services and enterprise data storage across India. As businesses continue to expand their digital operations, demand for high-capacity, energy-efficient and resilient data centres is expected to grow substantially.
Once implemented, the Data Corridor could strengthen Uttar Pradesh’s position in India’s digital economy by attracting domestic and international investments, generating employment opportunities and supporting the expansion of cloud, AI and technology-driven industries. By combining strategic planning with infrastructure readiness, the project aims to create a scalable digital backbone capable of supporting India’s rapidly growing data and computing requirements in the years ahead.
