Robin Khuda, the Bangladesh-born founder of data center company AirTrunk, announced plans on June 5, 2026, to invest $30 billion in India's data center sector by 2030, sidestepping his country of birth for one of the world's fastest-growing cloud computing markets.
Khuda met Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to unveil the commitment. AirTrunk plans to develop up to five gigawatts of data center capacity across India, with approximately three gigawatts concentrated in Maharashtra, where the company has signed a land acquisition agreement in Mumbai's Raigad district.
Prime Minister Modi welcomed the investment, saying it would strengthen India's position as a global center for cloud computing and AI technologies while creating jobs, boosting domestic supply chains and accelerating innovation-driven economic growth.
Why India, not Bangladesh?
Industry analysts point to economics and infrastructure rather than nationality. India possesses large-scale power capacity, extensive international connectivity, mature data center ecosystems and strong demand from global cloud providers. Bangladesh, by contrast, remains an emerging market for digital infrastructure with a smaller cloud ecosystem and fewer hyperscale data center facilities.
Khuda told Forbes Asia that India offered what few markets could: "India is among the handful of markets in the world with the scale of future demand that aligns with our growth plans." He cited the country's population, digital adoption and artificial intelligence ambitions as a unique combination.
Bangladesh's infrastructure challenge
Experts say Bangladesh could attract comparable investments if improvements continue in energy reliability, international connectivity and policy incentives. The country has made significant strides in digital transformation, but the gap with India remains substantial as artificial intelligence and cloud computing reshape global infrastructure investment.
The announcement has prompted discussion in Bangladesh about why a Bangladesh-born entrepreneur is committing such a massive investment to India instead of his country of birth. The decision highlights widening competition among South Asian nations to secure investments in the rapidly expanding AI and cloud computing sectors, where infrastructure readiness and market scale have become decisive factors.
Khuda's path from Dhaka to billionaire
Khuda was born and raised in Dhaka, attending Sher-e-Bangla Nagar Government Boys' School before moving to Australia at age 18. He founded AirTrunk in 2015 and expanded it across Australia, Singapore, Japan, Hong Kong and Malaysia. According to Forbes, his personal wealth exceeds $2 billion.
AirTrunk's India expansion underscores the country's emergence as a major global hub for artificial intelligence and cloud computing infrastructure. The investment represents one of the largest commitments to data center development in South Asia and signals where major tech entrepreneurs see the region's growth opportunities concentrated.