In a landmark move that signals growing investor confidence in India’s digital future, AirTrunk has announced its entry into the Indian market through the acquisition of Lumina CloudInfra. The deal, backed by global investment giant Blackstone, marks a strategic push into one of the world’s fastest-growing hubs for cloud and AI infrastructure.
The acquisition not only strengthens AirTrunk’s footprint across the Asia-Pacific region but also highlights India’s rising importance in the global data centre ecosystem.
Credits: AirTrunk
A Strategic Entry into a High-Growth Market
India’s rapid digital transformation has made it a hotspot for hyperscale data centre investments. With increasing internet penetration, booming cloud adoption, and exponential data consumption, demand for robust infrastructure is surging.
By acquiring Lumina CloudInfra, AirTrunk gains immediate access to a well-established platform with operations across key Tier 1 cities like Mumbai, Chennai, and Hyderabad. This provides a strong foundation for scaling operations in a market that is poised for explosive growth.
Robin Khuda, Founder and CEO of AirTrunk, described the move as a “significant milestone,” emphasizing India’s role as a critical growth engine for the company’s broader Asia-Pacific strategy.
Unlocking a $5 Billion Development Pipeline
One of the biggest highlights of the deal is Lumina’s development pipeline, which includes approximately 600 megawatts (MW) of planned capacity. This represents a potential investment opportunity of up to $5 billion in future data centre development.
This pipeline gives AirTrunk a head start in India, allowing it to rapidly deploy infrastructure and cater to hyperscale customers, including cloud service providers and AI-driven enterprises.
The acquisition also brings with it existing customer relationships, operational capabilities, and ongoing contracts—key advantages in a competitive and capital-intensive sector.
Backed by Global Investment Powerhouses
The deal further reinforces the long-term commitment of Canada Pension Plan Investment Board and Blackstone towards digital infrastructure.
In fact, both investors had previously joined forces in late 2024 to acquire AirTrunk in a deal valued at over $16 billion—one of the largest transactions in the global data centre space.
Peng Wei Tan, Senior Managing Director at Blackstone, highlighted that digital infrastructure remains one of the firm’s highest conviction investment themes. With this acquisition, Blackstone is doubling down on its bet that data centres will play a pivotal role in powering the next phase of global economic growth.
Scaling to a 3.3 GW Global Platform
Following the acquisition, AirTrunk’s total capacity will scale to more than 3.3 gigawatts (GW), spanning 23 campuses across six regions: Australia, Singapore, Japan, Malaysia, Hong Kong, and now India.
This expansion positions the company as a dominant player in the hyperscale data centre space, capable of serving the growing needs of cloud giants and AI-driven workloads across geographies.
India’s inclusion in this network is particularly significant, given its potential to become a global hub for digital services and artificial intelligence.
India’s Data Centre Boom: From 1.5 GW to 10 GW
The timing of this acquisition aligns with India’s ambitious growth trajectory in the data centre sector. The country’s installed capacity is expected to grow from around 1.5 GW in 2025 to nearly 10 GW by 2030.
Several factors are driving this surge:
- Rapid cloud adoption by enterprises
- Nationwide rollout of 5G networks
- Increasing data localization and sovereignty requirements
- A massive and growing mobile user base
Additionally, the government’s IndiaAI Mission is accelerating the push towards building sovereign AI capabilities, further boosting demand for advanced data infrastructure.
Credits: Data Center Dynamics
A Defining Moment for India’s Digital Future
AirTrunk’s entry into India is more than just a corporate acquisition—it reflects a broader shift in global capital towards digital infrastructure and AI readiness.
As India positions itself as a global technology and AI powerhouse, investments like these will be critical in building the backbone required to support future innovation.
For AirTrunk and its backers, the message is clear: India isn’t just part of the growth story—it is becoming the story.
