CtrlS signs non-binding LOI for 150MW Bihar data center

CtrlS Datacenters has signed a non-binding letter of intent to invest Rs 10,000 crore ($1 billion) in a 150MW hyperscale data center at Bodh Gaya in Bihar, India, Data Center Dynamics reported. The document records an intention rather than a commitment; the report gives no construction timeline, power-procurement plan or final investment decision for the site.

CtrlS's Rs 400 crore ($42 million) Patna campus is live with an initial 12MW of IT capacity. The facility was inaugurated in the presence of Bihar chief minister Shri Samrat Choudhary, and according to the company, it will serve enterprises, government institutions, hyperscalers and technology businesses in Bihar and Eastern India.

The two figures imply different costs per megawatt: $1 billion for 150MW is about $6.7 million per megawatt, and $42 million for 12MW is about $3.5 million per megawatt. One figure is a non-binding target and the other is a built facility, so the comparison is indicative rather than like-for-like, but the Bodh Gaya pipeline is 12.5 times the size of the campus that just opened.

CtrlS, founded in 2007, has facilities live or in development in Mumbai, Chennai, Bangalore, Noida, Hyderabad and Kolkata, with edge locations in Lucknow, Bhopal, Ahmedabad and Patna. Its website states a target of 2GW of capacity by 2030, and the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board invested in the company in June.

Founder and CEO Sridhar Pinnapureddy credited the Bihar government with "creating a conducive policy environment" and providing "attractive incentives" that supported the company's investment. He said CtrlS established the Patna greenfield facility in response to market demand.