Meet Bangladeshi-origin Robin Khuda, whose firm AirTrunk announced ₹3 lakh crore investment in India
Robin Khuda is well-known for his billionaire status, and his philanthropy work that he undertakes through the Khuda Family Foundation.
- Jun 5, 2026,
- Updated Jun 5, 2026 4:26 PM IST
Australia-based AirTrunk announced its plans to invest ₹3 lakh crore ($30 billion) in India. Its founder and CEO, Robin Khuda, met Prime Minister Narendra Modi, after which the announcement was made.
PM Modi said AirTrunk’s investment is one of the largest proposed investments in the country's digital infrastructure ecosystem. It will develop 5 GW of data centre capacity in the country. PM Modi said that such investments will strengthen India's position as a global hub for cloud computing and AI, while generating employment opportunities, supporting local supply chains and accelerating innovation-led growth.
Robin Khuda said that AirTrunk heard a clear message that India was open for investments and that they are determined to compete for the next generation of AI and cloud infrastructure that will transform India’s industries and economy for generations to come. Apart from PM Modi, Khuda also met ministers in Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh.
WHO IS ROBIN KHUDA?
Robin Khuda is the founder and chief executive officer of AirTrunk. He is also well-known for his billionaire status, and his philanthropy work that he undertakes through the Khuda Family Foundation.
Born and raised in Dhaka to father, SM Wazed Ali, Robin Khuda attended the Sher-e-Bangla Nagar Government Boy’s High School and Hermann Gmeiner College. After passing his HSC exams in 1997, Khuda moved to Australia and enrolled at the University of Technology Sydney to study accounting. His parents followed the next year, with his father later working in Australia.
According to a report in Prothom Alo, Khuda completed his undergraduate studies in 2002 and pursued an MBA at Manchester Business School in the UK. He worked various jobs alongside his studies and later qualified as a Certified Practising Accountant.
In 2007, Khuda joined Fujitsu as general manager, overseeing telecommunications and cloud computing in Australia and New Zealand. He then became chief financial officer at PIPE Networks, involved in building a submarine fibre-optic cable between Australia and Guam. Later, he worked as an executive director at NEXTDC, a data centre company, and was a founding member. The company expanded to a market value of about A$10 billion
He held leadership roles in multinational technology companies across Asia-Pacific.
MUST READ | ‘Among the largest proposed investments…’: AirTrunk has a ₹3 lakh crore plan for India
In 2014, he left NEXTDC to become CEO of Mint Wireless, a telecommunications payments company.
Khuda said he observed the growing popularity of cloud services around 2010 or 2011 and saw opportunities in the data centre sector, as mentioned in the Bangladeshi news site. This led to the establishment of AirTrunk, aiming to build cost-effective and energy-efficient cloud storage facilities to support large technology companies.
AirTrunk began operations in 2015 and soon secured a contract to build a USD 400 million data centre. The company faced funding challenges and Khuda invested most of his personal savings while seeking international investment. By early 2017, AirTrunk secured the necessary funding.
AirTrunk is now a major player in data management and storage in Australia, and has 11 data centres in Australia, Hong Kong, Japan, Malaysia and Singapore, with plans for 40 more.
At the end of 2024, AirTrunk was acquired by a consortium led by Blackstone and including CPP Investments, with Khuda continuing as CEO and retaining ownership. The company’s valuation was reported at USD 100 billion. Khuda is ranked as the 109th wealthiest person in Australia.
Australia-based AirTrunk announced its plans to invest ₹3 lakh crore ($30 billion) in India. Its founder and CEO, Robin Khuda, met Prime Minister Narendra Modi, after which the announcement was made.
PM Modi said AirTrunk’s investment is one of the largest proposed investments in the country's digital infrastructure ecosystem. It will develop 5 GW of data centre capacity in the country. PM Modi said that such investments will strengthen India's position as a global hub for cloud computing and AI, while generating employment opportunities, supporting local supply chains and accelerating innovation-led growth.
Robin Khuda said that AirTrunk heard a clear message that India was open for investments and that they are determined to compete for the next generation of AI and cloud infrastructure that will transform India’s industries and economy for generations to come. Apart from PM Modi, Khuda also met ministers in Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh.
WHO IS ROBIN KHUDA?
Robin Khuda is the founder and chief executive officer of AirTrunk. He is also well-known for his billionaire status, and his philanthropy work that he undertakes through the Khuda Family Foundation.
Born and raised in Dhaka to father, SM Wazed Ali, Robin Khuda attended the Sher-e-Bangla Nagar Government Boy’s High School and Hermann Gmeiner College. After passing his HSC exams in 1997, Khuda moved to Australia and enrolled at the University of Technology Sydney to study accounting. His parents followed the next year, with his father later working in Australia.
According to a report in Prothom Alo, Khuda completed his undergraduate studies in 2002 and pursued an MBA at Manchester Business School in the UK. He worked various jobs alongside his studies and later qualified as a Certified Practising Accountant.
In 2007, Khuda joined Fujitsu as general manager, overseeing telecommunications and cloud computing in Australia and New Zealand. He then became chief financial officer at PIPE Networks, involved in building a submarine fibre-optic cable between Australia and Guam. Later, he worked as an executive director at NEXTDC, a data centre company, and was a founding member. The company expanded to a market value of about A$10 billion
He held leadership roles in multinational technology companies across Asia-Pacific.
MUST READ | ‘Among the largest proposed investments…’: AirTrunk has a ₹3 lakh crore plan for India
In 2014, he left NEXTDC to become CEO of Mint Wireless, a telecommunications payments company.
Khuda said he observed the growing popularity of cloud services around 2010 or 2011 and saw opportunities in the data centre sector, as mentioned in the Bangladeshi news site. This led to the establishment of AirTrunk, aiming to build cost-effective and energy-efficient cloud storage facilities to support large technology companies.
AirTrunk began operations in 2015 and soon secured a contract to build a USD 400 million data centre. The company faced funding challenges and Khuda invested most of his personal savings while seeking international investment. By early 2017, AirTrunk secured the necessary funding.
AirTrunk is now a major player in data management and storage in Australia, and has 11 data centres in Australia, Hong Kong, Japan, Malaysia and Singapore, with plans for 40 more.
At the end of 2024, AirTrunk was acquired by a consortium led by Blackstone and including CPP Investments, with Khuda continuing as CEO and retaining ownership. The company’s valuation was reported at USD 100 billion. Khuda is ranked as the 109th wealthiest person in Australia.