Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal on 3 October 2026 made a strong pitch for India as the world's premier destination for global data centres, telling Indian-Americans at a community gathering in Chicago that the country offers an unmatched combination of low-cost clean energy, a unified national power grid, cheap data infrastructure, and a deep technology talent pool.

The Core Pitch

Addressing the event organised by the US Indian Community Foundation, Goyal argued that geopolitical uncertainty was reshaping where companies choose to house their data. 'Amongst the trusted world, countries where you feel safe with your data, where you feel safe to invest in the current geopolitical context, India is the world's best location to house data centres,' he said.

The minister pointed out that building data-centre infrastructure in India costs between one-fourth and one-fifth of what it would cost in the United States or Europe. Data costs in India, he added, could be as low as five to eight per cent of what users pay per gigabyte in the US.

India's Grid: Scale and Clean Energy Mix

Goyal underscored a dramatic shift in India's power infrastructure since 2014, when multiple fragmented regional grids operated with uneven supply. Those grids have since been unified into a single national network. 'So today, after China, we have the largest grid in the world,' he said. 'India has a national grid. 520 gigawatts in one connected grid. And in another 6 or 7 years, this will become 1000 gigawatts.'

Clean energy — comprising solar, wind, hydro, and nuclear — already accounts for 60 per cent of the installed capacity of the 520-gigawatt grid. By 2033, when capacity is projected to reach 1,000 gigawatts, Goyal said 70 per cent of installed capacity would be from clean sources.

This scale matters specifically for data centres, which require multiple layers of power redundancy. Goyal said companies can currently secure 80 per cent guaranteed clean energy round the clock at seven to eight US cents per unit, while 100 per cent clean energy is available at roughly 11 to 12 cents. 'Nowhere in the world can you get this level of redundancy and clean energy together at these data points,' he said.

Tech Talent and Investment Appeal

Beyond infrastructure, Goyal highlighted India's human capital advantage, noting that approximately 1.4 million students graduate annually in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). He invited Indian-American entrepreneurs and US companies to participate in India's economic expansion through investment, technology transfers, and knowledge-sharing.

'The United States of America has capital strength, technology strength. India has ambition,' Goyal said, adding that the India-US partnership would 'continue to grow, continue to prosper, continue to provide opportunities.'

G20 Trade Meet and Business Engagements

The Chicago community address followed Goyal's participation in the G20 Trade Ministers' Meeting in Milwaukee, where ministers deliberated on global trade challenges, the future of the World Trade Organisation (WTO), and concerns over goods produced through forced labour and state-supported excess production capacity.

During his Chicago visit, Goyal also met American businesses and investors — both through industry groups and in one-on-one sessions with large investors. He indicated that India planned to bring a large, multi-sectoral business delegation to the region, possibly in the first quarter of next year.

With clean energy costs, grid scale, data infrastructure pricing, and talent all cited as competitive advantages, the minister's push signals a deliberate effort to position India as the preferred alternative in a world reconfiguring its digital supply chains.