IGBC Hosts 5th Data Centre Summit on Sustainable Infrastructure

The Confederation of Indian Industry’s India Green Building Council (CII-IGBC) hosted its 5th Green Data Centre Summit in Bengaluru, successfully bringing together leading data center operators, technology innovators, policymakers, and industry experts to advance sustainability in India’s rapidly expanding digital ecosystem.

The summit spotlighted the transformative role of artificial intelligence (AI) and green building practices in optimizing data center energy use, managing operational risk, and driving resource efficiency. With India poised to emerge as a global hub for digital infrastructure, this landmark event furthered IGBC’s commitment to scalable, eco-friendly growth in the sector.

The inaugural was graced by Chief Guest -  Sharath Bache Gowda, Chairman, KEONICS, Hon’ble MLA, Govt. of Karnataka and the Guest of Honor -  Sanjeev Kumar Gupta, Chief Executive Officer, Karnataka Digital Economy Mission, along with key addresses from  Alok Bajpai, Managing Director India, NTT Global Data Centers;  Hitesh Garg, India Managing Director, NXP Semiconductors; Dr Milind V Rane, Professor, Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay;  Syed Mohamed Beary, Chairman, Data Center Summit, Chairman & MD, Bearys Group;  Chandrashekar HariHaran, Immediate Past Chairman, IGBC Bangalore Chapter; Dr Anup Naik Chairman, IGBC Bangalore Chapter, Co-Founder & CEO, Urban Frame; and  M Anand, Deputy Executive Director, CII-IGBC.

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In the welcome address,  M Anand; Deputy Executive Director, CII-IGBC shared IGBC’s Green Data Center Journey, and how India is growing multifold and skyrocketing to facilitate India achieve its net zero goals by 2070.

Sharath Bache Gowda, Chairman, KEONICS, Hon’ble MLA, Govt. of Karnataka while addressing the Data Centre Summit, said, “Karnataka is creating a dedicated 250–300 acre data centre park to power India’s data sovereignty—providing developers with bundled land and green energy through a genuine single-window clearance, so the path to building world-class data centres is streamlined, strategic, and sustainable.

“Our vision is to make Karnataka a hub for data innovation, extending leadership beyond Bangalore for regional parity and supporting hyperscale and edge data centres across the state. With 80% of our grid powered by renewable energy, sustainability and efficiency will drive the future of India's digital infrastructure from Karnataka,” he added.

Sanjeev Kumar Gupta, Chief Executive Officer, Karnataka Digital Economy Mission in his address at the Data Centre Summit said, “Karnataka is not just leading India’s digital economy — we are shaping the future of global data infrastructure. With 61% of our power coming from renewables and a million-strong tech workforce, Karnataka offers the ideal foundation for sustainable, AI-driven data center growth.”

Syed Mohamed Beary, Chairman, Data Center Summit, Chairman & MD, Bearys Group, envisioning a green future for India’s Data Centers with IGBC’s Green Data Center Rating System said “India is fast emerging as the world’s most cost-effective and sustainable data center destination. With advances in energy efficiency, innovative cooling technologies, and strong policy support, we have the opportunity to make India the global benchmark for responsible digital infrastructure.”

Dr Anup Naik Chairman, IGBC Bangalore Chapter, Co-Founder & CEO, Urban Frame, spoke about the evolving landscape of Data Centers in Bengaluru and how as the host city it brings in a flavor of different individuals together under one roof. He also said “India’s opportunity goes far beyond scale. We have the potential to set a global benchmark for sustainable digital infrastructure, proving that growth can be exponential yet ethical, and innovation both powerful and mindful.”

A major highlight was the IGBC Green Data Center Awards presentation, which recognized industry leaders for exemplary practices in environmental responsibility, energy efficiency, and green innovation in data center operations. The awards were given to 10 green data driving organizations that are growing sustainably to put India on the global green map.

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The day’s programme featured thought-provoking CXO panel discussions exploring the transformative role of AI in data infrastructure, policy and regulatory needs, and strategies for building resilient, efficient data centers. Along with moderator  Sumit Mukhija, CEO, DCI Data Centers, Australia, the panelists featured  Mayank Srivastav, Director- C&SP Segment, Schneider Electric; along with other leaders from JIO; PDG; NIXI; Microsoft; and Kyndryl Consult - Data Center Services covering emerging trends in cooling technologies, green energy solutions, and pathways to achieving net zero operations in data center environments.

Another panel discussion on “Design, Build and Operation of AI Data Centers: From Challenge to Opportunity” featured leaders from AurionPro; Datasamudra; Sify Technologies; L&T Construction; Amara Raja Electricals; and JLL India. The session focused on industry challenges such as infrastructure bottlenecks, energy and sustainability, policy gaps, operational risks, and workforce skill shortages, exploring how these hurdles can be transformed into growth and innovation opportunities for India’s expanding data center landscape.

The technical sessions on Day 1 of the IGBC 5th Data Centre Summit focused on emerging green power cooling solutions for data centers, chaired by  Vinod Kulkarni from NetApp. Presentations included the evolution of data centers in the AI era by  Chirag Tyagi, Schneider Electric; Green Power Architectures by Kirloskar, and liquid cooling pressure and flow control innovations by  Vishal Jadhav, Belimo. The day also featured a session on wellness in the wired world, chaired by  Rajiv Vasudevan, MD & CEO, Apollo AyurVAID, Co-Chairman, CII National Taskforce on AYUSH exploring AI’s role in health and well-being.

The first day concluded with a session on AI-powered sustainable data center design and operations, chaired by  Rajkumar Kambar, Regional DC Manager, Intel Technologies, highlighted AI-driven energy optimization, predictive maintenance, and scalable models for net zero certifications. Key speakers included  Tapan Patil, Pancharatna Realty; Ar. Pankaj Wadhwa, Vastunidhi Architects; and Tanveer Ahmed, Thermax Cooling, and U N Krishnaraj, LDCS India, who discussed sustainable, scalable, and AI-enabled design solutions as well as advanced cooling technologies for data centers.