Airtel Secures USD 1 Bn Investment in Nxtra to Boost AI Data Center Expansion

Bharti Airtel has announced a USD 1 billion investment in its data center subsidiary, Nxtra Data Limited, led by global investors Alpha Wave Global, Carlyle, and Anchorage Capital. Airtel will also participate in the funding round, which values Nxtra at around USD 3.1 billion after the transaction closes, subject to regulatory approvals in India.

As part of the deal, Alpha Wave Global will invest USD 435 million, Carlyle will contribute USD 240 million and Anchorage Capital will invest USD 35 million. Airtel will infuse the remaining amount and retain a controlling stake in Nxtra. Final shareholding structures will be determined after post-closing adjustments.

The investment is aimed at accelerating Nxtra’s expansion across India and strengthening its capabilities in artificial intelligence (AI)-driven data center operations. Nxtra plans to use the funds to scale infrastructure, enhance service offerings, and meet the growing demand from enterprises, hyperscalers and government organisations.

India’s data center market is witnessing rapid growth due to increasing digital adoption, cloud usage, and demand from large technology firms. A report by Savills India estimates the sector will grow at a compound annual growth rate of about 21% between 2024 and 2030, reaching nearly 3,400 MW of IT capacity.

Gopal Vittal, Executive Vice Chairman of Airtel, said, “At Nxtra, we have built one of India’s most advanced and sustainable data center networks, designed to meet the evolving needs of enterprises, hyperscalers, and government.” He added, “With around 300 MW capacity today, we aim to scale to 1 GW in the next few years, targeting approximately 25% market share.”

He further noted, “Strategic partnerships with global investors and technology leaders are central to our growth roadmap, enabling us to accelerate expansion and deliver next-generation digital infrastructure solutions at scale.”

Headquartered in New Delhi, Nxtra operates 14 core data centers and over 120 edge facilities across India. The company provides services such as co-location, cloud infrastructure, managed hosting, disaster recovery, and edge computing. It is also developing AI-ready campuses in key cities and has partnered with Google on a large-scale AI data center project.