Overview

• Zerodha co-founder Nikhil Kamath forecasts that escalating AI-driven data center demand could make energy and electrons a form of global trade currency within ten years
• Data centers consume about 1.5% of global electricity today—a share set to reach 10% by 2030—with power costs accounting for roughly 65% of their operating expenses and a single new facility drawing more annual energy than 400,000 electric vehicles
• India’s data center capacity, now about 1.4 GW across 262 facilities, is projected to surge to 9 GW by 2030, raising its slice of national electricity use from under 1% to nearly 3%
• Just 27% of India’s data center energy is sourced from renewables, triggering $6.5 billion in investment under policies such as 100% FDI allowance and the India AI Mission to expand green capacity
• Major hubs in Mumbai, Hyderabad and Bangalore are eyeing microgrids and renewable-plus-storage solutions backed by Viability Gap Funding schemes that channel up to 30% of capital costs