Chief Minister M.K. Stalin on Friday inaugurated U.S.-based Equinix's AI-ready data centre on SIPCOT land in Siruseri.

Chief Minister M.K. Stalin on Friday inaugurated U.S.-based Equinix's AI-ready data centre on State Industries Promotion Corporation of Tamil Nadu (SIPCOT) land in Siruseri. The data centre has been built at an investment of ₹574 crore.

At a meeting of investors held in 2022, the government signed a memoranda of understanding with Equinix in the presence of Mr. Stalin, who later laid the foundation for the project, according to an official release.

Minister for Industries T.R.B. Rajaa, Chief Secretary N. Muruganandam, Industries Secretary Arun Roy, and Managing Director of Equinix India Manoj Paul, among others, were present during the event held at the Secretariat.

'Key position'

"The Chennai campus spreads over nearly six acres. The location is approximately 28 km away from the bustling Central Business District, holding a key position near the anticipated submarine cable landing sites," Mr. Paul said at a media interaction.

"The Chennai data centre is a four-storey building. It will provide a total site capacity of 4,250 cabinets when fully built. The first phase provides 800 cabinets. We have invested $69 million in the first phase," he said.

Equinix operates more than 270 data centres across 77 markets in 36 countries, helping over 10,000 businesses in their digital transformation. It has invested $43 billion in these centres, Mr. Paul said.

"We have decided to set up the centre at Siruseri because of the fiber-optic network availability. The fiber-optic network of the telecom providers on Old Mahabalipuram Road is much better than those at other locations," he said.

Mr. Paul also lauded the government's support for the project.

Equinix has invested $358 million in India for its data centres in Mumbai and Chennai, he added.

Stalin inaugurates ₹574-crore data centre of Equinix at Siruseri SIPCOT