Meta is building its first custom-built AI data center in India with Reliance Industries, positioning itself to scale AI compute in a major growth market while using renewable energy and advanced cooling.

What happened: Meta Platforms is partnering with Reliance Industries to construct a large-scale AI-enabled data center in India. The facility will be Meta's first built-to-suit data center in the region, will run on renewable energy, and will use desalinated seawater for cooling to support Meta's global AI compute needs.

Why it matters: Large technology companies are pairing with regional champions to access power, connectivity, and regulatory expertise at scale, as demand for AI infrastructure expands globally. For Meta, this collaboration deepens its physical footprint in a key growth market and aligns with the broader industry effort to place data centers closer to end users and major pools of digital activity.

What to watch: Monitor the facility's role in how quickly Meta can train and deploy AI models tailored for the local market, as well as how the focus on renewable power and advanced cooling affects Meta's long-term AI compute cost structures and energy use efficiency.