The deal comes as Meta expands its global AI infrastructure footprint, with India emerging as one of its most important AI markets.

Meta will lease capacity at a new 168 MW data centre being developed by Reliance Industries in Jamnagar, Gujarat, with options to scale.

India is emerging as one of the world’s fastest-growing AI markets, drawing billions of dollars in data centre investment from global technology giants racing to capture one of the world’s largest digital markets, serving a population of more than 1.4 billion people.

India has designated data centres as strategic national infrastructure, attracting commitments from Google, Microsoft, Adani and Reliance as global technology giants race to build AI infrastructure across the country.

India is Meta’s largest market for Meta AI usage, according to Meta executives, with WhatsApp serving an estimated 850 million users in the country, according to industry estimates.

“This world-class facility in Jamnagar will help us scale our AI infrastructure globally while deepening our long-term investment in India’s economy,” said Mark Zuckerberg, founder and CEO, Meta.

Meta said it will cover the full cost of the energy and water supporting the facility. The Jamnagar campus will run on renewable energy and use desalinated seawater for cooling, connecting to Project Waterworth, Meta’s subsea cable system that the company describes as the world’s longest, plugging India directly into its global network.

The partnership dates back to 2020, when Meta invested $5.7 billion in Jio Platforms. Earlier this year, the two formed a joint venture focused on deploying Llama-powered AI products for Indian enterprises, with Reliance holding a 70% stake and Meta 30%, according to company statements and media reports. The Jamnagar centre moves that partnership from software into steel and silicon.

“Building India’s first built-to-suit AI data centre for a global technology leader of Meta’s scale demonstrates India’s readiness to be at the forefront of the global AI revolution,” said Mukesh D. Ambani, chairman and managing director, Reliance Industries.

Reliance Industries is India’s largest private conglomerate, with operations spanning petrochemicals, telecom, retail and green energy, and is currently developing Jamnagar into what the company has described as one of the world’s largest data centre campuses.

Meta separately announced nearly 1 GW of new renewable energy procurement in India through CleanMax and Fourth Partner Energy, covering solar and wind projects across Rajasthan, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh.

The India deal forms part of Meta’s record $125–145 billion global capital expenditure commitment for 2026, which the company says is being driven primarily by investments in AI infrastructure and data-centre capacity.

Also Read: ADNOC Deploys AI Inspection Robot as Physical AI Expands Into Oil and Gas Industry