India’s Digital Economy Boom
India is racing toward a $1 trillion digital economy by 2027-2028[1], and artificial intelligence is driving much of that growth. With enterprises and hyperscalers demanding infrastructure that can handle AI workloads at scale, the need for purpose-built, interconnected data centers has never been more critical. Chennai, already home to a thriving tech ecosystem, is emerging as a key player in this transformation.
To support India’s AI ambitions, Equinix has opened CN1—its first International Business Exchange (IBX) data center in Chennai. Located on nearly six acres in Siruseri’s tech corridor, this $65 million facility connects directly to Equinix’s high-performance Mumbai campus, creating a dual-city digital infrastructure network designed for the AI era.
CN1 represents the kind of interconnected, AI-ready infrastructure that will power India’s next phase of digital growth. But what does cutting-edge data center design actually look like in practice?
Let’s take a visual tour through CN1 and see where India’s AI future is taking shape.
CN1, positioned approximately 28 kilometers from Chennai’s Central Business District, provides proximity to anticipated submarine cable landing sites, ensuring robust international connectivity for businesses across Tamil Nadu. With an initial investment of $69 million to provide 800 cabinets of capacity, this state-of-the-art facility will eventually support 4,250 cabinets.
Customer Lounge Area
Entrance Lobby
Fully redundant Power Architecture
Cooling Array
Colocation halls
Sewage treatment farm
Rooftop chillers and equipment
[1] Indian digital economy growing at 2.8%, will reach $1 trn by FY28: IT Min | Tech News – Business Standard
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