French based Schneider Electric to invest Rs 3200 crore in India

DATA CENTRE BOOM

India, which has made significant strides in IT, connectivity, and digitization, is now emerging as a hub for data centres. According to Cushman & Wakefield, India’s data centre capability is set to exceed the 1-GW mark in 2024, with expectations of it touching 3 GW in the next five years, calling for integration of efficient, sustainable energy management systems. “The data centre business is currently facing numerous challenges, with the foremost being data volatility.

Buoyed by the high growth in AI, the demand for data processing is seeing an uptick, leading to increased demand for cooling solutions,” said Schneider Electric EVP (Secure Power Division & Data Center Business) Pankaj Sharma, reiterating that the facility will not only address the cooling requirements of high-density computing environments, but also contribute to building resilient and sustainable data centre infrastructure.

INDIA AS A HUB

India is one of the four hubs of the Schneider group, the others being France, USA and China. Today, the country hosts about 6,000 R&D digital software engineers, out of a total 37,000 staff.

“A hub means that we are an empowered team that can design and manufacture products for the local market,” said Schneider Electric India Zone President (Greater India) and MD & CEO Deepak Sharma.

“Once we grow as a hub, our next responsibility is to help other countries, which have environments very similar to ours. That’s where India is becoming an export base for countries in the Middle East, Asia-Pacific, Africa, etc… while we also contribute to the North American market.”

Accordingly, 85% of the products manufactured in the new cooling facility will be shipped to export markets, enabling it to play a crucial role in the company’s global supply chain.

“India is a significant market for us. We are set to invest Rs 3,200 crore by 2026 to expand our presence in the country. The new factory, a part of that commitment, will go beyond manufacturing, creating jobs in Karnataka and fostering growth of the local economy,” the CEO said, informing that the said investment will herald more developments, currently in execution stage, which will be inaugurated within this year.