Stalin unveils policy to make TN the top data centre destination in India 

CHENNAI: In a bid to develop Tamil Nadu as the number one destination for data centres in the country, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin on Friday unveiled the State’s Data Centre Policy.  Aiming to create a pool of skilled manpower in this sector and help attract investors, the State government will be working with ICT Academy, an initiative of the Union government in collaboration with States and industries, to design and conduct courses specific to data centre operations. 

Delivering his inaugural address at Connect, the flagship event of Confederation of Indian Industry, Stalin emphasised on human resources and skill development. With a pointed reference to emerging deep technologies, he urged the industry to train students and make them employable in these fields.  

Tamil Nadu has been attracting data centres from across the world after Singapore put a freeze on the sector due to a power crisis. Data centres consume extensive power to remain in operation. The TN policy aims to capitalise on the opportunity as the State has the second highest number of submarine cable landing stations in India housing over 30 per cent of India’s subsea cables which connect to 264 landing stations globally. 

The policy will be applicable for all data centres incorporated from April 1, 2021 and for units/parks incorporated until March 31, 2026. It also focuses on encouraging industries to collaborate with colleges and create Centres of Excellence. The government is looking at tailor-made building regulations through the creation of a separate category for data centres under the TN Combined Development and Building Rules, 2019. 

Paperless Assembly, fully-digitised Secretariat to be a reality soon: Min

Similarly, the State is also taking measures to ensure there is adequate power supply for data centres. The government is encouraging the use of renewable energy for operations of data centres. Incentives are being offered to projects with an investment above Rs 500 crore and those who meet at least 30 per cent of their energy consumption from renewable energy sources.

Already, national and international companies, including Yotta, Princeton Digital, ST Telemedia, Netmagic, Webweks, L&T and Adani, are in the process of setting up their data centres in Chennai and surrounding areas. Tamil Nadu’s focus on data centres stems from the State’s complementary prowess in manufacturing of electronics and electrical equipment such as server systems, mobile device handsets, and storage devices and memory used in technology, media and telecom sector.

Earlier, Information Technology Minister T Mano Thangaraj said the government has taken measures to digitise all the offices in the Secretariat, focusing on e-Assembly, paperless Assembly, inclusive e-Library, centres of excellence in the realm of artificial intelligence, blockchain and cloud computing. Finance Minister Dr PTR Palanivel Thiaga Rajan said there is a need for cross referencing of data on the schemes that can benefit people from all walks of life.

The minister noted there should be a database on wastelands so the government can have a control over asset management as a record shows that 23 per cent of lands have been encroached upon by various types of people. Connect 2021, supported by the TN government, Software Technology Parks of India and Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, features a two-day International Exhibition on ICT (information and communications technology). Over 55 exhibitors from all over the world are participating. Australia, Israel and UK are partner countries of the event.

‘Train students in emerging deep tech’
The Chief Minister emphasised on human resources and skill development. With a pointed reference to emerging deep technologies, he urged the industry to train students.