AirTrunk Signs MoU for 1,800 MW of Data Center Capacity in Andhra Pradesh

AirTrunk has signed a memorandum of understanding with Andhra Pradesh for two proposed data center campuses totaling 1,800 MW in the state's Anakapalli district. The deal, announced on LinkedIn on November 13, 2026, names a 400 MW site at Rambilli and a 1,400 MW site at Tootipala.

Chief Minister Nara Chandrababu Naidu signed the agreement. Both campuses remain proposals, and AirTrunk said it plans to work with government and community partners as the projects progress.

The MoU maps specific sites and capacities for AirTrunk's next phase of Indian expansion. It follows the company's entry into the market through the acquisition of Lumina CloudInfra, announced on April 20, 2026, which brought an approximately 600 MW portfolio of planned capacity across Mumbai, Chennai and Hyderabad.

What does the deal mean for jobs?

AirTrunk projects the two campuses could create more than 3,100 direct operational jobs and 4,700 indirect jobs. The company intends to support local access to those roles through local hiring, skills development and partnerships with Industrial Training Institutes and polytechnics in Anakapalli.

Carly Wishart, AirTrunk's Managing Director, Corporate and International, thanked the Andhra Pradesh government for its partnership. "Our focus is on responsible planning and helping people build the skills to take part in the opportunities ahead," she said.

The workforce plans connect the campuses' potential economic impact to a practical requirement for large data center operations: a local pool of trained workers. The employment figures remain projections attached to the proposed projects, not existing positions.

How does Anakapalli fit AirTrunk's India footprint?

AirTrunk's current India portfolio lists developments in Mumbai, Chennai and Hyderabad, described as cloud and AI-ready. The Anakapalli proposal would add two locations beyond those markets and extend a pipeline designed to serve the growth of large technology customers.

The Lumina acquisition supplied more than capacity. It brought existing contracts, customer relationships and operating capabilities. Blackstone and Canada Pension Plan Investment Board were to continue providing long-term capital support to the platform.

That backing matters because the constraint on AirTrunk's Indian program is not money alone.

What stands between proposal and construction?

A separate AirTrunk investment proposal, dated June 5, 2026, outlined more than US$30 billion of Indian investment by 2030 and 5 GW of new data center capacity across multiple states and union territories. The company linked that program to growing demand for cloud and artificial intelligence infrastructure.

The June proposal followed meetings between founder and CEO Robin Khuda and federal representatives and ministers in Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh. Their discussions covered:

• reliable and cost-effective power
• renewable energy
• sustainable water supply
• talent development
• streamlined approvals
• greater coordination between state and federal governments

That list shows AirTrunk's expansion agenda extends beyond financing and construction. On the company's own account, energy supply, water supply, workforce preparation and administrative coordination rank among the practical requirements for AI-driven infrastructure growth.

What happens next?

For Andhra Pradesh, the MoU converts AirTrunk's broader ambitions into two campus proposals with stated capacities and employment projections. Moving them beyond the proposal stage now depends on the practical work AirTrunk has itself identified: securing suitable power and water arrangements, completing approvals and building the local workforce needed to run AI-ready infrastructure.

By Daniel Okafor