Now, that narrative is beginning to shift. In 2025, India's total data centre capacity crossed the 1,700 MW mark, with 440 MW of new supply added, a sharp 160% jump from the previous year. This marks a clear transition from potential to real, on-ground growth, signalling a sector that is steadily moving into its next phase of expansion.
With this, investment momentum is also picking up as companies accelerate capacity additions and new project announcements.
For investors, this evolving landscape presents a compelling opportunity.
While none of these are pure-play data centre companies, they play an important role across the broader data centre ecosystem.
RailTel Corporation of India is a major neutral telecom infrastructure provider under the Ministry of Railways.
RailTel offers a comprehensive data centre and cloud services portfolio through Tier-III certified facilities and its MeitY-empanelled cloud platform. Its offerings include Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS), Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS), Software-as-a-Service (SaaS), along with a range of enterprise and government-focused digital solutions.
RailTel has partnered with Techno Electric & Engineering Company to develop edge data centres across 102 locations, with work already underway.
The company has also secured an international order worth Rs 198.3 million (m) from the Ministry of External Affairs to establish a data centre in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The project involves setting up a data centre within the Ministry of Foreign Affairs building of Ethiopia and is expected to be completed by December 2029.
On the expansion front, RailTel is developing a 10 MW data centre in Noida, with Phase 1 of 5 MW expected to be completed by May 2027. Additionally, the company is planning around 100 edge data centres across India, with facilities in Gurgaon and Mumbai already operational.
Three more edge data centres in Chandigarh, Indore, and Vizag are expected to become operational by October 2026.
According to an investor conference call, RailTel reported a strong order book of Rs 101.6 billion (bn).
On the financial front, over the past three years, the company's revenue has seen a CAGR growth of 31%. Meanwhile, net profit grew at a CAGR of 12.8%.
The company is debt-free. The three-year average ROE and ROCE stand at 13.3% and 18.5%.
#2 ABB India
Next on the list is ABB India.
A long-standing player, ABB India has been part of the country's automation, digitalisation, and electrification journey since 1949.
While not a pure-play data centre company, ABB plays a crucial role in enabling the sector through its advanced electrical and automation solutions.
As a technology leader in data centre infrastructure, the company offers innovative and sustainable solutions that ensure reliable power supply and operational efficiency for mission-critical facilities, along with a comprehensive portfolio of low- to medium-voltage electrical components.
According to its CY25 annual report, nearly 50% of hyperscale data centres in India use ABB solutions, highlighting its strong positioning in the fast-growing data centre ecosystem.
The company also ended the year with a record order backlog (order book) of Rs 104.7 bn, up 12% YoY, providing strong visibility for future revenue growth.
On the financial front, over the past three years, the company's revenue has seen a CAGR growth of 15.5%. Meanwhile, net profit grew at a CAGR of 17.6%.
The company is debt-free. The three-year average ROE and ROCE stand at 22.9% and 30.9%.
ABB India's Financial Snapshot
| Year |
2023 |
2024 |
2025 |
| Revenue (Rs in m) |
104,465 |
121,883 |
132,027 |
| Revenue Growth (%) |
21.9 |
16.7 |
8.3 |
| Net Profit (Rs in m) |
12,482 |
18,746 |
16,694 |
| Net profit margin (%) |
11.9 |
15.4 |
12.6 |
| Debt-to-equity |
0.0 |
0.0 |
0.0 |
| Return on equity (%) |
21 |
26.5 |
21.3 |
| Return on capital employed (%) |
21 |
26.5 |
21.3 |
Source: Equitymaster
For more details, see the ABB INDIA company fact sheet and quarterly results.
#3 Hitachi Energy
Next on the list is Hitachi Energy.
Hitachi Energy India is a leading technology company in India specialising in power grid technologies, electrification, and sustainable energy solutions.
The company plays a key role in enabling modern infrastructure through its core business units, including Grid Automation, Grid Integration, High-Voltage Products, and Transformers, serving sectors such as renewables, utilities, transmission, and data centres.
In the data centre space, Hitachi Energy provides end-to-end solutions including design, engineering, manufacturing, assembly, testing, BIM modelling, and supply of equipment.
The company has already executed projects such as the commissioning of a 220 kV GIS substation for a data centre in Pune, Maharashtra, highlighting its growing presence in the sector.
Going forward, the company plans to expand further in high-growth areas such as edge-of-grid solutions, battery energy storage systems (BESS), data centres, and e-mobility. Supporting this growth outlook, Hitachi Energy reported an all-time high order backlog of Rs 298.7 bn, according to its Q3 earnings call.
On the financial front, over the past three years, the company's revenue has seen a CAGR growth of 9.3%. Meanwhile, net profit grew at a CAGR of 23.6%.
The company is debt-free. The three-year average ROE and ROCE stand at 9.6% and 16.4%.
Hitachi Energy's Financial Snapshot
| Year |
2023 |
2024 |
2025 |
| Revenue (Rs in m) |
44,685 |
52,375 |
63,849 |
| Revenue Growth (%) |
-8.5 |
17.2 |
21.9 |
| Net Profit (Rs in m) |
939 |
1,638 |
3,840 |
| Net profit margin (%) |
2.1 |
3.1 |
6.0 |
| Debt-to-equity |
0.0 |
0.0 |
0.0 |
| Return on equity (%) |
7.7 |
12.0 |
9.1 |
| Return on capital employed (%) |
15.2 |
20.5 |
13.5 |
Source: Equitymaster
For more details, see the HITACHI ENERGY company fact sheet and quarterly results.
#4 L&T
Next on the list is L&T.
The company is a top Indian EPC multinational conglomerate with over 80 years of legacy. L&T operates in more than 50 countries, with a strong presence across core sectors such as infrastructure, energy, manufacturing, services and new-age ventures.
L&T's Buildings & Factories business is at the forefront of building urban infrastructure and offers end-to-end design-and-build turnkey solutions that seamlessly traverse the entire project life-cycle, from concept to commissioning.
Its expertise extends across sectors such as airports, data centres, semiconductor and more.
To strengthen its presence in the data centre space, the company has rebranded its data centre business as Larsen & Toubro-Vyoma.
This platform will lead L&T's expansion into hyperscale data centres across key Indian metros such as Mumbai, Chennai, and Bengaluru.
These high-capacity, enterprise-grade facilities are designed to support growing demand for cloud-native applications, data sovereignty requirements, and AI-driven workloads.
As per the Q3 FY26 earnings call held in January 2026, L&T currently has around 32 MW of data centre capacity, of which 14 MW is operational, while another 18 MW is expected to be commissioned by the end of the fiscal year.
The total capex investment in the data centre business stands at approximately Rs 10 bn.
According to the Q3 FY26 investor presentation, the company reported a strong data centre-related order book of Rs 73.3 bn.
On the financial front, over the past three years, the company's revenue has seen a CAGR growth of 17.8%. Meanwhile, net profit grew at a CAGR of 19.8%.
The three-year average ROE and ROCE stand at 16.9% and 20.4%.
L&T's Financial Snapshot
| Year |
2023 |
2024 |
2025 |
| Revenue (Rs in m) |
1,833,407 |
2,211,129 |
2,557,345 |
| Revenue Growth (%) |
17.1 |
20.6 |
15.7 |
| Net Profit (Rs in m) |
126,249 |
155,697 |
176,874 |
| Net profit margin (%) |
6.9 |
7.0 |
6.9 |
| Debt-to-equity |
0.7 |
0.7 |
0.6 |
| Return on equity (%) |
14.2 |
18.1 |
18.2 |
| Return on capital employed (%) |
17.9 |
21.3 |
21.9 |
Source: Equitymaster
For more details, see the L&T company fact sheet and quarterly results.
Conclusion
According to IBEF data, the data centre market in India reached a valuation of Rs 9.3 trillion (tn) in 2025 and is projected to more than double to Rs 20.5 tn by 2030, driven by rapid growth in cloud computing, artificial intelligence (AI) and data-intensive technologies.
The strong capital pipeline is further reflected in announced projects worth Rs 55.9-65.3 tn over the next five years, which are primarily driven by hyperscale platforms and joint ventures.
India's expanding digital economy, rising internet and telecom subscriber base, and increasing enterprise cloud adoption are positioning the country as a major data infrastructure destination.
Further the Union Budget 2026-27 proposed a tax holiday until 2047 for foreign companies providing cloud services through data centre infrastructure located in India, aiming to attract global investments and hyperscalers.
Further, as per the Press Information Bureau, India's data centre capacity is projected to surge to nearly 8 GW by 2030 from around 1.4 GW.
This rapid expansion is presenting a full-stack opportunity across the data centre ecosystem, from power and cables to cooling, EPC, and real estate.
Given this strong demand visibility, supportive policy environment, and massive capacity expansion, companies with strong order books are well-positioned to benefit from the sector's long-term growth.
While investing, investors should also consider factors such as execution capability, capital intensity, and client concentration before investing.
However, investors should carefully evaluate these companies' fundamentals, corporate governance, and valuations as key factors when conducting due diligence before making investment decisions.
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prabhu naik
Apr 28, 2026Good