Mumbai: Reliance Industries Limited (RIL), led by billionaire Mukesh Ambani, is reportedly preparing to invest between $12 billion and $15 billion over the next few years to build a robust artificial intelligence (AI) ecosystem in India. The plans include the development of a one-gigawatt AI-ready data center, according to a Morgan Stanley report.
The move follows Ambani’s announcement at RIL’s annual shareholder meeting in August, unveiling a new subsidiary, Reliance Intelligence, which will spearhead the company’s AI initiatives. The subsidiary will focus on four key areas: infrastructure, strategic partnerships, AI-driven services, and talent development.
Reliance intends to construct gigawatt-scale data centers, collaborate with global technology firms to introduce advanced AI solutions in India, and offer AI-powered services tailored to sectors such as healthcare, agriculture, and education. The group also aims to train and develop a skilled AI workforce within the country.
The Morgan Stanley report highlighted that RIL has reinvented its business model roughly every decade, and AI is expected to drive its next major growth phase. The report estimates that roughly $7 billion will be spent on data center infrastructure, while an additional $5 billion will go toward installing 250 megawatts of chips directly. The remaining capacity is likely to be leased to hyperscale cloud providers and other enterprises as a “data center as a service.”
The first phase of the data center is already underway in Jamnagar, Gujarat. RIL plans to expand the initial 100-megawatt Zen AI data center capacity over the next two years.
In parallel, Reliance is strengthening its global AI collaborations. The company recently acquired Facebook Overseas Inc., a Meta subsidiary, to form a joint venture—Reliance Enterprise Intelligence Limited (REIL). Under this partnership, Meta contributes its open-source LLaMA AI model, while Reliance brings its extensive business network to deliver enterprise AI services tailored for Indian firms. Reliance Intelligence holds a 70% stake in the venture, with Meta holding 30%.
Additionally, RIL is working with Google to establish a dedicated cloud region in Jamnagar, leveraging its infrastructure with Google’s AI and cloud capabilities. These strategic moves signal Reliance’s ambition to become a central player in India’s emerging AI landscape.
