Why are data centres planned in India facing a global risk of operational disruption?

Planned data centres in Tamil Nadu, Telangana, and Karnataka rank among the top 30 states worldwide with the highest modelled operational disruption risk linked to extreme heat.

About 41 new data centres in India were analysed by risk consultancy XDI, as part of a global exercise, and found that 12% are high-risk properties with a 269% increase in average damage risk from 2026 to 2100 associated with extreme heat. The foreign investment involved is $7 billion.

The report examined 2,595 planned data centres worldwide, identifying locations where physical damage to the built infrastructure due to direct climate impacts or operational disruption due to heat or indirect risks could increasingly challenge long-term infrastructure performance, insurability and operational continuity. 

The report “2026 Global Analysis of Planned Data Centres for Physical Climate Risk and Resilience” said planned data centres analysed in Brazil, India, Mexico, Indonesia and Spain recorded some of the most acute projected operational disruption risk from extreme heat globally, with 75% or more of assets analysed at high risk, and with risk projected to escalate rapidly over time.

The report also offers separate analyses of extreme heat risk and of indirect risks to the surrounding infrastructure. In India, states including Tamil Nadu, Telangana, and Karnataka feature in the top 30 states worldwide that have been identified with the highest modelled operational disruption risk linked to extreme heat for planned data centres.

Tamil Nadu was ranked sixth, followed by Telangana and Karnataka at seventh and eighth in the list of 30 states worldwide.