NITI Aayog's Frontier Tech Hub unveils Data Centre Evaluation Framework for states

15 October 2026

The Frontier Tech Hub of NITI Aayog released a Data Centre Evaluation Framework on 14 October 2026 to help states plan for sustainable growth.
The Framework is structured around five pillars: Power and Energy; Water and Cooling; Siting and Environmental Sustainability; Economic and Strategic Value; and Policy, Governance and Implementation.
NITI Aayog CEO Anurag Jain said states need to assess infrastructure availability and resource requirements before committing support to data-centre projects.
NITI Aayog Member Abhay Karandikar stressed strengthening domestic research and development and industry-academia collaboration.
Distinguished Fellow Debjani Ghosh said data centres are becoming critical strategic infrastructure as artificial intelligence reshapes the global economy.
The release notes a tax holiday until 2047 for eligible foreign cloud service providers using India-based data-centre infrastructure.