Union minister of state for electronics and information technology Jitin Prasada has warned that green power generation is not keeping pace with the rapid expansion of artificial intelligence (AI) and related technologies. He said India would need to strengthen its electricity infrastructure as demand for computing capacity and data centres increases.
Addressing the Central Electricity Authority (CEA) Brainstorming Conclave on Making Indian Power Sector AI Enabled in New Delhi, Prasada highlighted the government’s plans to introduce a policy for data centres. He said India was well positioned to attract hyperscaler data centres and was preparing measures to support the sector’s expansion.
The minister cautioned that energy-intensive data centres should not place an additional burden on ordinary electricity consumers. He said the government wanted to avoid a situation in which data centres diverted power used by households and pushed up electricity costs for consumers.
Prasada also said access to green electricity would be an important factor in determining where future AI investments were located. Countries with stronger green power generation capacity would have an advantage in developing and deploying advanced technologies, he said, adding that India was well placed to increase production.
The minister further stressed the need to expand India’s domestic semiconductor ecosystem while maintaining cooperation with other countries. Building local capabilities was particularly important amid global uncertainty and supply-chain disruptions, he said, referring to the semiconductor shortage during the COVID-19 pandemic that affected automobile production.
His remarks underline the challenge of expanding AI infrastructure while ensuring reliable and affordable electricity for households. The issue is expected to become more significant as data center’s increase their computing capacity and industrial power requirements. The proposed data center policy will therefore need to address investment, energy availability and the use of renewable power alongside broader infrastructure needs…
