India's First AI SEZ Planned for Nava Raipur with ₹1,000 Crore Investment

India will set up its first artificial intelligence-focused Special Economic Zone (SEZ) in Nava Raipur, Chhattisgarh. The project will be developed by Indore-based RackBank Datacenters Pvt. Ltd. with an investment of ₹1,000 crore. The announcement was made following an order from the Ministry of Commerce.

India’s 1st AI SEZ

The AI SEZ will be built across 6 acres and will include a 1.5 lakh square foot data centre. It will house servers and computing systems designed for AI development and deployment. RackBank plans to set up 4 high-density data centres with a total power capacity of 80 megawatts. The facility will be structured to support large-scale digital operations.

Employment and Training

RackBank stated that the facility is expected to generate jobs in areas such as data management, cybersecurity, and network operations. The company also plans to collaborate with ITIs, engineering colleges, and polytechnic institutes across Chhattisgarh to offer training programmes aligned with its workforce requirements.

Technology Partnerships

The SEZ is being positioned to host operations of global technology companies. Reports indicate that firms such as Google, OpenAI, Microsoft, and Meta may operate from this centre. The facility will be used not just for consuming AI services, but also for producing and hosting them.

India has approved 423 SEZs, of which 270 are operational, according to commerce ministry data. These are spread across sectors including IT, pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, and manufacturing. Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Telangana, and Gujarat host the majority of these zones.

Policy Framework

The SEZ will operate under the existing SEZ policy, which was introduced in 2005 through the SEZ Act. This policy offers tax incentives and procedural relaxations to promote exports and attract investment. The project will also benefit from infrastructure support provided under this framework.

Read More: India’s First Made-in-India AI GPUs to be Demoed by 2025!

Conclusion

The Nava Raipur AI SEZ adds a new category to India’s SEZ ecosystem, focused specifically on artificial intelligence and digital infrastructure.

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