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Airtel announces $1 billion investment in Nxtra to scale data centre businessBharti Airtel unit Nxtra secures $1 billion dollar investment to expand AI ready data centres in India. Shares of Bharti Airtel ended lower on Monday, March 30, by 3.34% at  ₹1,782.40 on the NSE.By Megha Rani  March 30, 2026, 10:31:22 PM IST (Published)3 Min Read

Bharti Airtel on Monday, March 30, announced a fresh capital infusion of about $1 billion into its data centre subsidiary Nxtra, as the telecom major looks to scale up its digital infrastructure footprint in India amid rising demand for AI-led and cloud services.

According to an exchange filing, Airtel said it will receive an investment of US$1 billion from Alpha Wave Global, Carlyle and Anchorage Capital, through their affiliates, in Nxtra Data Ltd, its data centre arm. The company added that it will also participate in the fundraise alongside these investors.

As part of the transaction, Alpha Wave Global will invest US$435 million, Carlyle US$240 million, Anchorage Capital US$35 million, with the rest being infused by Airtel. The investors’ final shareholding will be subject to post-closing adjustments, while Airtel will continue to retain a controlling stake in Nxtra. The deal is subject to regulatory approvals in India.

Nxtra, which is positioned as the first data center company in India to deploy AI at scale for predictive maintenance, energy efficiency, and automated operations, plans to utilise the proceeds to accelerate expansion. The company aims to significantly scale its infrastructure and broaden its services portfolio to cater to enterprises, hyperscalers, and government organisations.

“At Nxtra, we have built one of India’s most advanced and sustainable data center networks… With ~300 MW capacity today, we aim to scale to 1 GW in the next few years, targeting ~25% market share,” Gopal Vittal, Executive Vice Chairman, Airtel, said.

He added that strategic partnerships with global investors and technology leaders are central to Airtel’s growth roadmap, enabling it to accelerate expansion and deliver next-generation digital infrastructure at scale.

Carlyle also reaffirmed its confidence in the business. Kapil Modi, Partner at Carlyle India Advisors, said the company is “well-positioned to benefit from India’s long-term digital infrastructure tailwinds” and highlighted its progress in expanding capabilities and building a scalable platform.

Alpha Wave Global, which has been actively backing AI-focused businesses globally, said the investment aligns with its strategy of supporting AI-first platforms. “We are excited to partner with Mr. Sunil Mittal and the Bharti Group… as Nxtra scales to become India’s leading data center business,” said Rick Gerson, Co-Founder & CIO, Alpha Wave Global.

Notably, this would mark Alpha Wave’s first AI-data centre investment in India, adding to its portfolio of global bets across companies such as SpaceX, OpenAI, Anthropic, and others, while its recent India investments include Haldiram’s and Lenskart.

Post the transaction, Nxtra is expected to be valued at around $3.1 billion, underscoring investor confidence in India’s fast-growing digital infrastructure opportunity.

Shares of Bharti Airtel ended lower on Monday, March 30, by 3.34% at  ₹1,782.40 on the NSE.

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