Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel on Wednesday, 10 June 2026 announced that Meta's first AI-enabled data centre in India will be established in Jamnagar, Gujarat, calling it a 'proud moment' for the state and citing it as a validation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's digital and industrial vision.

Context

In his post, CM Patel described the development as a 'landmark investment' that 'reflects the success of Hon'ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi ji's vision of Digital India and Make in India.' He added that the announcement reaffirms Gujarat's standing as 'a preferred destination for global technology investments.' The data centre will be located in Jamnagar, an industrial district on Gujarat's western coast already known for hosting the world's largest oil refinery complex.

The announcement marks a significant milestone in India's AI infrastructure ambitions, with one of the world's largest technology companies choosing Gujarat over other competing states for its inaugural AI-focused facility in the country.

Policy Backdrop

The investment sits at the intersection of two flagship central government programmes. Digital India, launched in July 2015, was designed to expand the country's digital infrastructure and promote technology-led economic growth. Make in India, announced in September 2014, has specifically targeted foreign direct investment in manufacturing and high-technology sectors, including data infrastructure.

CM Patel also credited the Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit — a biennial investment conclave that has been held since 2003 — as a key enabler, alongside the state's 'progressive policies, robust infrastructure and strong industrial ecosystem.' Gujarat has complemented national digital programmes with its own state-level IT and electronics policies since the early 2010s, steadily building a case for large-scale tech investments.

India has in recent years prioritised data centre expansion as a strategic infrastructure goal, with several states — including Maharashtra, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu — competing aggressively to attract hyperscale and AI-grade facilities from global technology companies.

Stakeholders and Impact

The immediate beneficiaries of the Jamnagar facility will include the local workforce, the broader Gujarat IT and construction sectors, and the state's logistics ecosystem. Jamnagar's existing industrial base — anchored by energy and petrochemical operations — gives it established power supply networks and port connectivity, both critical requirements for large data centres.

For India's technology sector as a whole, a Meta AI data centre signals growing global confidence in the country's capacity to support advanced AI workloads. It also strengthens the government's narrative around India becoming, in CM Patel's words, 'a global AI powerhouse.'

What's Next

Specifics around land allocation, power agreements, connectivity infrastructure and a project timeline are yet to be formally disclosed. The next edition of the Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit is expected to be a natural platform for further announcements related to the facility and associated supply-chain investments. Observers will also watch for follow-on commitments from other global AI and cloud players, who may view Meta's choice of Gujarat as a signal about the state's investment environment.

The development underscores a broader shift in India's industrial geography, with western coastal states leveraging port infrastructure and policy stability to capture a growing share of the global digital economy's physical backbone.