RAIPUR: Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai on Saturday laid the foundation of the nation’s first artificial intelligence (AI)-based Data Centre Park that will come up on 14 acres of land in new capital city Nava Raipur.
“This is not going to be just a data centre; it’s the digital backbone for a new era of growth and empowerment. It’s a transformational and a momentous move to meet India’s ambitions to become a global digital powerhouse,” CM Sai said.
The data centre has been designed with a focus on environment protection. It will follow green and energy-efficient technologies, officials said.
Operated by RackBank Datacenters Private Limited, it will include a 2.7-hectare area developed as a Special Economic Zone (SEZ). “The first phase will begin with a capacity of 5 megawatts to be expanded up to 150 megawatts. An investment of approximately Rs 2,000 crore is anticipated in the future,” an official said.
In addition to data storage and processing and artificial intelligence, the park will provide advanced services in fields of health technology, defence, FinTech, and data analytics. It will house graphics processing unit-based high end computing infrastructure, recording, live data streaming, and AI processing facilities of global standards under one roof, officials said.
The project is expected to generate around 500 direct and 1,500 indirect employment opportunities, with priority given to local youth. Chhattisgarh hopes the initiative will establish the state as a leader in the tech sector and open new avenues for local talents. “The state will become the heartbeat of Digital India,” the CM said.
“The Data Centre Park will create thousands of jobs in the IT sector, data analytics, and technical support. Youth from Chhattisgarh will now be able to build careers in technology without a need to migrate to cities like Delhi or Mumbai,” an official said.
The park will handle both national and international data traffic, accelerating government service delivery and making the state digitally self-reliant. The AI technology will help farmers with smart farming, accurate weather forecasting and crop management, leading to better yields and improved incomes, according to officials.
“Remote tribal and rural regions will gain easy digital access to education, healthcare, and government services,” an official said. Chhattisgarh has recently allotted 10 acre land free of cost for National Institute of Electronics & Information Technology in Nava Raipur to establish an advanced centre for digital literacy and technical education.