AirTrunk Signs $21B, 3 GW Maharashtra AI Data-Center LoI
Blackstone-backed AirTrunk signed a Letter of Intent with Maharashtra for a $21 billion, 3 GW AI data-center campus at Pen Taluka, part of a $30 billion India commitment.
Key Takeaways
AirTrunk signed a Letter of Intent with Maharashtra on July 2 for a $21 billion, 3 GW AI data-center campus at the Raigad Pen Growth Centre in Pen Taluka.
The project is part of AirTrunk's broader $30 billion India commitment to deliver 5 GW of hyperscale capacity by 2030.
At 3 GW, the campus is roughly double India's entire existing data-center fleet of about 1.5 GW, making it the largest single AI compute campus proposed in India.
AirTrunk will co-develop water, cooling and power infrastructure with the Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation, with the state fast-tracking approvals for on-site solar, gas and grid interconnects.
Blackstone, which acquired AirTrunk for $16.1 billion in 2024, is steering AI capacity growth toward lower-cost, high-solar-load regions like Gujarat and Maharashtra.
Kaan Tınmaz
Blackstone-backed AirTrunk and the state of Maharashtra signed a Letter of Intent on July 2 for a 3 gigawatt AI data-center campus at the Raigad Pen Growth Centre, sealing a project valued at roughly US$21 billion. The commitment is part of AirTrunk’s broader US$30 billion India build-out, which would deliver 5 GW of hyperscale capacity by 2030.
A 3 GW campus in Pen Taluka
The 3 GW campus at Pen Taluka is roughly double the size of India’s entire existing data-center fleet, currently estimated at around 1.5 GW. AirTrunk will co-develop water, cooling and power infrastructure with the Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation, and Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said the state will fast-track approvals for on-site solar, gas and grid interconnects to hit the 2030 in-service target.
India’s biggest AI infrastructure bet
AirTrunk’s Maharashtra bet is the largest single AI compute campus proposed in India to date and lands as hyperscalers rebase their compute footprints for training and inference. It complements Meta’s 168 MW Jamnagar lease and Google’s recently unveiled Gujarat facility, and follows a wave of hyperscale commitments in the Asia-Pacific region.
Blackstone’s data-center thesis widens
Since acquiring AirTrunk for US$16.1 billion in 2024, Blackstone has aggressively expanded the platform into new geographies, positioning it as the region’s dominant hyperscale wholesale operator. The Maharashtra deal builds on a mixed portfolio quarter that saw Blackstone’s QTS shelve a 2,100-acre Virginia project, and it reinforces that most of the next tranche of AI capacity growth is heading to lower-cost, high-solar-load regions like Gujarat and Maharashtra.
Reporting based on coverage from DataCenterDynamics, TechCrunch and MLQ.ai.
On July 2, Blackstone-backed AirTrunk signed a Letter of Intent with the state of Maharashtra for a 3 GW AI data-center campus at the Raigad Pen Growth Centre in Pen Taluka, valued at roughly $21 billion.
How big is the project compared to India's current data-center capacity?
The 3 GW campus is roughly double India's entire existing data-center fleet, which is estimated at around 1.5 GW, making it the largest single AI compute campus proposed in India to date.
When is the campus expected to be operational?
The project targets a 2030 in-service date, with Maharashtra fast-tracking approvals for on-site solar, gas and grid interconnects, as part of AirTrunk's plan to deliver 5 GW of hyperscale capacity in India by 2030.
How does this fit into Blackstone's data-center strategy?
Since acquiring AirTrunk for $16.1 billion in 2024, Blackstone has expanded the platform into new geographies as the Asia-Pacific region's dominant hyperscale wholesale operator, even as its QTS unit shelved a 2,100-acre Virginia project in the same quarter.
