Sunil Mittal Reveals Airtel's Big Investment Plans in AI Data Centres, Sovereign Cloud and Financial Services

Bharti Airtel is preparing a major business transformation, focusing on AI data centres, sovereign cloud and financial services, with plans to expand infrastructure and diversify revenue by 2030.

Sunil Mittal Reveals Airtel's Big Investment Plans in AI Data Centres, Sovereign Cloud and Financial Services

Airtel Plans Major Business Transformation Over the Next Five Years

Bharti Enterprises Chairman Sunil Bharti Mittal has outlined an ambitious expansion strategy for Airtel, identifying artificial intelligence (AI) data centres, sovereign cloud and financial services as the company's three major growth opportunities.

In an interview with CNBC-TV18, Mittal said Airtel wants to reduce its dependence on traditional connectivity services by developing new businesses that can generate significant revenue over the next five years.

The company is targeting a major increase in its data centre infrastructure while expanding its cloud and banking operations.

Airtel Targets 1 GW Data Centre Capacity by 2030

One of Airtel's biggest priorities is expanding its data centre business to support the growing demand for artificial intelligence and computing infrastructure.

Mittal said the company currently operates approximately 250–260 MW of data centre capacity and aims to increase this figure to 1 GW by 2030.

Achieving this target will require investments worth several billion dollars.

Airtel is already developing a large AI data centre in Visakhapatnam for Google. The company is also considering additional projects in Mumbai, Pune, Hyderabad and Kolkata.

The expansion is expected to strengthen Airtel's position in India's rapidly developing digital infrastructure market.

Carlyle, Anchorage and Alphabet Support Data Centre Expansion

To support its infrastructure ambitions, Airtel has secured another $1 billion in funding from Carlyle, Anchorage and Alphabet.

However, Mittal indicated that additional capital will be required as the company increases its data centre capacity.

He said Airtel intends to maintain majority ownership of its data centre business while remaining open to investments from existing shareholders and new financial partners.

The company has reportedly received interest from several potential investors as it prepares for its next phase of expansion.

Sovereign Cloud Emerges as Another Major Growth Opportunity

Alongside AI infrastructure, sovereign cloud services are becoming an important part of Airtel's enterprise strategy.

These services allow organisations to store and manage their data within specific geographical boundaries, helping them address data security, regulatory and localisation requirements.

Mittal said Airtel already serves approximately 50 large customers through its sovereign cloud business and expects demand to increase.

The company wants to provide enterprise customers with connectivity, cloud infrastructure and computing resources through an integrated platform.

This approach could help Airtel benefit from growing corporate demand for AI applications, GPUs and advanced computing capabilities.

New Businesses Could Contribute Nearly Half of Airtel's Portfolio

Mittal expects Airtel's business structure to change considerably over the next five years.

Currently, connectivity services account for approximately 80–90% of the company's portfolio. However, he expects newer business segments to contribute nearly half of the overall portfolio in the coming years.

These growth areas include data centres, sovereign cloud and financial services.

Explaining the evolution of the telecom industry, Mittal said Airtel had moved from selling minutes to data measured in gigabytes. Going forward, the company could increasingly focus on selling computing tokens as AI adoption expands.

Airtel Sees Significant Potential in Financial Services

Financial services represent another major opportunity for Airtel.

Mittal said he and Gopal Vittal are particularly optimistic about the sector, highlighting Airtel's large customer base and access to customer-related data as potential advantages.

The company believes these capabilities could help it develop consumer lending services for India's market of approximately 400 million potential customers.

The success of Airtel Money in Africa has also strengthened the group's confidence in expanding its financial services operations.

Airtel Payments Bank Targets Major Growth by 2030

Airtel Payments Bank is expected to play an important role in the company's financial services strategy.

According to Mittal, the bank already has nearly 100 million customers and is approaching ₹4,000 crore in revenue.

He outlined ambitious potential targets for 2030:

• Deposits: ₹10,000 crore

• Revenue: ₹10,000 crore

• Profit: ₹1,000 crore

The company is also holding discussions with the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) regarding its future plans.

Mittal indicated that Airtel Payments Bank could potentially explore a stock market listing within the next three to four years, subject to the necessary regulatory and business developments.

Airtel Will Continue Strengthening Its Core Telecom Business

Despite its expansion into new sectors, Airtel does not intend to reduce its focus on traditional connectivity services.

Mittal said the company will continue investing in its core telecom operations while building capabilities in AI infrastructure, cloud computing and financial services.

The broader strategy is to transform Airtel into a more diversified business capable of serving the growing digital and financial requirements of consumers and enterprises.

Conclusion

Bharti Airtel is preparing for a significant transformation by expanding beyond traditional telecom services into AI data centres, sovereign cloud and financial services. Its target of reaching 1 GW data centre capacity by 2030 highlights its infrastructure ambitions. With investments, new partnerships and Airtel Payments Bank's growth plans, Sunil Mittal aims to build a more diversified business over the next five years.