NITI Aayog’s Frontier Tech Hub has released a Data Centre Evaluation Framework to help states plan the sustainable growth of data centres in India. The initiative is intended to strengthen the country’s data centre ecosystem and support rising requirements for artificial intelligence, computing and digital infrastructure.

The framework was released in New Delhi on October 14. It is designed to help state governments assess investment proposals systematically, identify infrastructure requirements and support the sustainable development of data centre projects. The initiative also seeks to improve the predictability of project planning and implementation.

NITI Aayog CEO Anurag Jain highlighted the importance of data centres and computing infrastructure to India’s future growth. He described the sector as a significant opportunity for the country, as demand for digital services and computing capacity continues to expand.

NITI Aayog member Prof Abhay Karandikar said the framework sets out the key issues that state governments need to consider when evaluating proposals for new data centres. These include the systematic assessment of investment proposals and the requirements for supporting infrastructure.

Developed in consultation with the Ministry of Power and the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, the framework is intended to serve as a practical decision-support tool. States can adapt it to their priorities without creating an additional layer of regulation, while using it to make project implementation faster and more predictable.

The framework aims to help states maximise the long-term economic benefits of data centre investments. It is also expected to provide a more consistent basis for evaluating projects as India expands its digital infrastructure and prepares for greater adoption of artificial intelligence and advanced computing.