(June 25): Amazon.com Inc added US$13 billion ($16.9 billion) to its planned India investments, accelerating its buildout of artificial intelligence (AI) and cloud infrastructure in the world’s most populous country.
The fresh outlays will expand the data centre capacity of Amazon Web Services in Mumbai and Hyderabad, the company said on Thursday. The e-commerce giant said it will also open more than 20 new fulfilment centres and over 100 new delivery stations across India this year.
Amazon had previously pledged investments of more than US$35 billion in India by 2030, as it joins global tech peers in targeting the growth opportunities in the rapidly digitising market. Just on Wednesday, Amazon said it will multiply the Indian cities and towns covered by its Amazon Now quick deliveries.
Chief executive officer Andy Jassy is currently visiting the country to meet entrepreneurs, employees and leaders including Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Jassy’s maiden visit as the CEO underscores India’s importance as a key growth market, as AI fuels demand for the company’s data centres.
Still, the company’s e-commerce efforts in the country of 1.4 billion people have lagged behind Walmart Inc’s Flipkart and, when it comes to the fledgling instant-delivery market, local rivals such as Eternal Ltd’s Blinkit. Seattle-based Amazon is now making a concerted push to gather momentum in quick commerce, too.
Amazon said its cumulative investments in India from 2010 through 2030 are now set to surpass US$88 billion.
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