Japan's NTT Data May Double Down on AI Data Centers in India
The Japanese IT and business services firm eyes India, Singapore, and Malaysia for its next phase of AI-ready digital infrastructure as Asia drives hyperscaler demand and REIT-backed expansion.
News
- California’s Genspark Enters AI Unicorn Club with $200 Million Round
- OpenAI Taps Intel’s Sachin Katti to Build Compute Backbone for AGI
- Flipkart Brings Voice-Led Wholesale Ordering to WhatsApp with Sarvam AI
- Varun Berry Steps Down at Britannia, Rakshit Hargave to Take Over
- OpenAI Issues Warning on AI’s Acceleration From Inside the Fast Lane
- Intel Eyes Deeper India Play in Chips, AI
Japan’s NTT Data plans to reinforce its lead in India and push into Singapore and Malaysia as part of a broader expansion of its digital infrastructure business across Asia, CEO Yutaka Sasaki told Nikkei Asia in an interview on Monday.
He said the company’s focus is to “shift toward higher value-added services, including artificial intelligence.”
Sasaki said Asia is the company’s fastest-growing region and flagged demand from AI hyperscalers as a key driver, with Singapore a priority after authorities eased limits on new data center construction.
Singapore partially lifted its moratorium in 2022 and has since outlined plans to unlock at least 300MW of additional capacity tied to efficiency goals.
The Japanese IT and business services firm, an arm of Japan’s largest telecom group NTT, operates more than 150 data centers in over 20 countries and regions and had about 1.5GW of total capacity as of June, with India and the broader Asia-Pacific at roughly a quarter and set to rise to about one-third by March.
The company has earmarked roughly ¥1.5 trillion (about $10 billion) through fiscal 2027–28 to expand its footprint, positioning data centers as a growth engine as core telecom operations mature. According to the company, it is the world’s No. 3 data center provider behind Equinix and Digital Realty.
In Malaysia, NTT Data has a small campus near Kuala Lumpur and last December announced land acquisition in Johor to build a 290MW campus that would rank among the region’s largest.
Sasaki said the group is also weighing roles in government and conglomerate-led projects across Asia as it balances hyperscaler demand with local initiatives.
The expansion is underpinned by the July listing of NTT DC REIT in Singapore, a first for a Japanese sponsor.
The vehicle holds six data centers across the US, Austria and Singapore, and raised about $770–780 million at IPO, with Singapore’s GIC among key investors.
Sasaki said the group will need to seed more Asian assets into the REIT to support growth.
Sasaki said is firm’s “full stack” approach, integrating cloud, security and data centers, gives it an edge against global rivals, adding that its India-based capability centers have matured and are helping win large North American deals.
The company uses Bengaluru as a major base to deliver offshore IT services for multinational clients.
