*

Reliance and Adani commit $210 billion to AI-ready data

centres

*

Pledges pale in comparison to commitments of U.S. tech

giants

*

Reliance's Jio to launch 120 MW AI-ready data centres this

year

(Rewrites with details of AI investments)

By Chandini Monnappa, Surbhi Misra and Urvi Dugar

BENGALURU, ​Feb 19 (Reuters) - India's biggest

conglomerates are stepping up a push ‌into AI and data

infrastructure, with Reliance committing about $110

billion and Adani pledging $100 billion to position

the nation as an emerging ⁠hub for AI development.

While the sum is modest against the more than $630 billion

U.S. ⁠tech giants are expected to spend this year, India is

offering ‌tax breaks for ‌foreign firms operating from domestic

data centres, along with measures to lure more AI talent.

"Our resolve is clear: make ​intelligence as ubiquitous as

connectivity," said billionaire Mukesh ‌Ambani, the chairman of

Reliance, arguing that cheaper computing will spur innovation.

His company wants to bring to AI the same playbook it used

to ​disrupt the telecom market in 2016 by ​slashing data ‌prices

and expanding access.

News of the plans come as top executives gathered in New

Delhi for a major summit, amid rising investment from Google

, Amazon ( AMZN ), Meta ⁠Platforms and

Microsoft ( MSFT ) in India's AI and cloud ecosystem.

Reliance and Adani benefit from renewable-powered ⁠data

centres, as their own energy assets cut reliance on costly grid

power. Putting facilities next to power plants cuts transmission

losses and shields them from rising electricity prices.

"With their backward integration, renewable-powered data

centres are simply the cheapest option for them in the long

run," ⁠said ‌Ambareesh Baliga, an independent market analyst.

BETTING ON DATA CENTRES

India has played ‌only a limited role in the global AI boom

so far, as it lacks ⁠large-scale chip manufacturing, making data

centres its most viable entry point into the fast-growing

infrastructure market.

Reliance unit Jio is developing multi-gigawatt, AI-ready

data centres, including a facility in the western city of

Jamnagar that is expected to add more than 120 megawatts of

capacity in the second half of this year.

Separately, Adani Enterprises said on Tuesday it planned to

invest $100 billion by 2035 to build data centres ​that are

AI-enabled and renewable-powered.

Reliance seeks to build a fully integrated AI stack in

India, but execution and monetisation remain key risks, said

Aishvarya Dadheech, founder and chief investment officer at

Fident ​Asset Management.

($1=91.0870 Indian rupees)