Piyush Goyal pitches India as trusted destination for data centres, cites $200 bn investment commitments

Tokyo, Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal on Tuesday pitched India as a compelling destination for data centres, saying the country can work with Japanese companies to develop the sector and has already received investment commitments of about USD 200 billion from large hyperscalers globally.

During his meeting with Japanese Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Akazawa Ryosei, Goyal said the partnership could be summarised around four pillars -- increasing trade, strengthening technology cooperation, boosting investments and promoting tourism.

"Data centres are another area where India provides a very compelling case, a destination as a trusted partner. We can work together to promote data centres in India. We already have a commitment of about USD 200 billion from large hyperscalers from across the world," he said.


From October to December 2025, Google announced an investment of USD 15 billion, Microsoft USD 17.5 billion, Amazon USD 35 billion and Digital Connexion USD 11 billion in AI infrastructure, including data centres in India.

The government has proposed to boost investments in the data centre segment with a tax holiday till 2047.

Goyal informed the Japanese minister about his interaction with several representatives of top Japanese companies who showed tremendous interest in expanding cooperation with India.

"We have certain strengths which will support Japanese technological advancements. We discussed several areas where I can see clear advantages of working together such as AI, semiconductors and whole ecosystem around that, where India has huge demand, which is estimated to about USD 150 billion market," he added.

Separately, while addressing an Indian community event here, Goyal said Japan has significant demand for caregivers, nurses, plumbers, electricians, masons, carpenters and drivers, as well as highly skilled professionals such as AI specialists, PhDs, engineers and chartered accountants.

He suggested that the community encourage people to learn the Japanese language.

"If you learn the language and the culture, then huge opportunities are here," he said, adding that remittances from Japan to India contribute to India's growth.

There are over 60,000 Indian diaspora in Japan.

Criticising the previous UPA governments, he said that earlier, Indian travellers were often viewed at foreign immigration counters as potential overstayers or immigrants who might not return.

He also recalled that Indians were treated differently by foreign airlines, but said that over the last 12 years, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has significantly enhanced India's global standing.