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India is advancing toward a digital-first economy, and one sector stands out in its transformational growth: data centers. With projected demand expected to exceed 450 megawatt IT capacity across major cities by 2025 and supply anticipated to hit 600 megawatts, India is rapidly emerging as a global data center hub. In this episode of the Analytics Insight podcast, host Priya Dialani speaks with Sanjay Motwani, Vice President APAC associated to LEGRAND Data Center Solutions, to explore the evolution of data centers and the enormous potential India holds in this space.
While cloud computing, AI, and IoT are often credited with driving data growth, Sanjay Motwani offers a deeper insight: cloud is not the cause, it’s the result of a larger behavioral and infrastructural shift. Sanjay identifies three key pillars fueling India’s data explosion:
The Digital Economy: India’s aggressive push toward digitalization, through government initiatives and private sector innovation, has led to massive volumes of data creation. This forms the foundational engine of demand.
Network Infrastructure: High-speed, low-cost internet access across both urban and rural areas has democratized connectivity. “Even in remote villages, people stream YouTube on mobile phones,” notes Sanjay, pointing to a nationwide digital transformation at scale.
Consumer Behavior: Indians spend 4–7 hours daily on mobile devices, creating and consuming digital content. With over 1 billion people online and generating data, the scale of this behavior is redefining how infrastructure must respond.
Priya emphasizes that sectors such as BFSI, IT, and e-commerce rely heavily on robust data ecosystems, making scalable and secure data centers essential. However, despite generating 20% of the world's data, India accounts for just 3% of global data center capacity, a gap that presents an unparalleled opportunity.
“Data centers now contribute nearly 20% of LEGRAND’s global revenue,” Sanjay explains. With a global turnover of €8.6 billion and a workforce of over 38,000, LEGRAND is not just participating in the shift, it is leading it with innovation, simplicity, and sustainability at its core.
The company’s approach to data centers is grounded in creating meaningful digital and electrical infrastructure. Their solutions are not only technologically advanced but also environmentally conscious, addressing today’s urgent need for energy-efficient and scalable facilities.
Sanjay shares how LEGRAND is doubling down on India as a strategic market, calling it a “great time and place” for the sector. With expanding demand and relatively lower capacity compared to countries like China, the potential for high double-digit growth year-over-year is both feasible and imminent.
India is at a pivotal juncture where digital demand, infrastructural maturity, and behavioral shifts converge. With organizations like LEGRAND deploying sustainable and scalable solutions, the country is poised to bridge its capacity gap and redefine the global data center landscape.
As Sanjay puts it, “We’re just scratching the surface. The scope for expansion is tremendous, and it’s driven by people, not just platforms.”
