Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Monday, June 1, 2026, welcomed AirTrunk CEO Robin Khuda to Maharashtra and signed a Letter of Intent for land allotment at the Raigad Pen Growth Centre for a proposed data centre project worth ₹2 lakh crore with a capacity of 3 GW.

Context

The Letter of Intent marks the formal entry of AirTrunk, an Australian hyperscale data centre developer, into Maharashtra's industrial land pipeline. The investment, if fully realised, would rank among the largest single digital-infrastructure commitments in Indian state history. Australian Consul General Paul Murphy was present at the meeting, signalling official bilateral backing for the deal.

CM Fadnavis described the move as a step that will 'power Maharashtra's digital future,' framing the project as central to the state's technology ambitions. The Pen Growth Centre, located in the coastal district of Raigad, is an Orange City-designated industrial node earmarked for large-scale infrastructure development.

Policy Backdrop

AirTrunk is backed by Blackstone, the global alternative asset manager that has steadily expanded its footprint in Indian digital and technology infrastructure. The Blackstone connection brings institutional-grade capital discipline to the project, which is expected to proceed through defined milestones covering land handover, power procurement, and construction start.

The engagement also draws on the India-Australia Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement signed in 2022, which opened new corridors for services and technology investment between the two countries. Australian firms have accelerated technology-related commitments in India since that framework took effect, and this data centre proposal is among the most capital-intensive to emerge from that bilateral momentum.

Indian states have increasingly competed to attract hyperscale data centre projects as domestic data traffic surges and global cloud operators seek low-latency regional hubs. Maharashtra, with its existing connectivity infrastructure and port-proximate industrial zones, has positioned itself as a preferred destination for such investment.

Stakeholders and Impact

At 3 GW of planned capacity, the Raigad facility would be a hyperscale anchor that could draw ancillary technology suppliers, cooling-system vendors, and fibre-network operators to the Pen corridor. Local employment generation and power-grid upgrades in the coastal district are among the downstream implications that state planners will need to address.

For global investors and cloud operators, a project of this scale in Maharashtra signals that the state's single-window clearance and industrial land-bank mechanisms are functional enough to attract top-tier international capital. Blackstone's involvement also provides a template for private-equity-backed infrastructure deployment that other operators may follow under ongoing state investment drives.

What's Next

The Letter of Intent is a preliminary instrument; the critical path now runs through formal land allotment, environmental and grid-connectivity clearances, and a definitive investment agreement. State authorities will need to confirm power-procurement arrangements given the project's 3 GW appetite — a figure that would place significant demand on Maharashtra's transmission network.

Additional data-centre commitments from other international operators are anticipated under the state's continuing investment outreach. The AirTrunk deal is likely to be cited as a benchmark in future pitches, raising the stakes for Maharashtra to deliver on the Pen site's infrastructure promises on schedule.