Chennai stands as capital of SaaS in country: Palanivel Thiaga Rajan

Digital Connexion set up its new data centre in the city on Friday aimed at serving the critical infrastructure needs of enterprises and digital service companies.

Tamil Nadu Minister of Information Technology and Digital Services Palanivel Thiaga Rajan formally inaugurated the centre along with Digital Connexion CEO CB Velayuthan at an event here.

Digital Connexion is promoted by Reliance Industries Ltd, Brookfield and Digital Realty Company.

The first phase of the Data Centre -- MAA10 -- located on a sprawling 10-acre campus in Ambattur would offer 20MW of IT load and features a modular infrastructure design enabling customers to scale their infrastructure in response to varied workload demands.

"I am delighted to observe Chennai's rapid emergence as a highly sought-after hub for data centers within the Indian landscape. The convergence of entities such as Jio (Reliance Industries Ltd), Digital Realty, and Brookfield at this event is indeed a commendable collaboration," Rajan said.

MAA10 facility has been built to address diverse customer requirements, helping them navigate new technologies.

"As India undergoes a digital transformation, marked by the digitization of our economy, substantial growth in exports, and Software-as-a-Service, Chennai stands prominently as the capital of SaaS in the country. I anticipate a significant upswing in the establishment and expansion of data centers to meet the demands of our increasingly digitised society," he added.

According to Digital Connexion CEO CB Velayuthan, the 100MW campus in Ambattur is ideal, given the availability of the necessary power supply, the high number of submarine cable landing stations in the local area, and the state government's aspirations to make Chennai the top data centre hub in India.

MAA10 leverages Brookfield's in-depth knowledge of the infrastructure market, and Digital Realty's industry-leading energy-efficient data centre platform, design, and operating procedures among others.

"We look forward to making it (Chennai Data Centre) a destination of choice for our customers, partners, cloud and service providers looking to expand their reach in India, starting with MAA10, the state-of-the-art first phase of this highly scalable campus," Velayuthan added.

The MAA10's design, construction, and operational practices are driven by sustainability principles with a focus on maximizing energy and water efficiency and conserving resources.