An IT and data ecosystem zone will be developed in Tripura: CM
Agartala: Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha said on Friday that the state government has decided to develop approximately 6.8 acres of land surrounding the Bharti Airtel data center as a dedicated IT and data ecosystem zone to attract investment in information technology, IT-enabled services, and data infrastructure.
Speaking after the foundation stone laying ceremony of the Airtel data center, Saha said the proposed zone will create a conducive environment for IT companies, start-ups, and data center operators. He said the state’s IT department has created a system to identify talent from colleges and provide support to start-ups and entrepreneurs under the state’s start-up policy.
The Chief Minister said Tripura is also planning to establish its second IT park and an innovation laboratory with incubation facilities to support young entrepreneurs.
Emphasizing the importance of data infrastructure, Saha said data centers are crucial for the secure storage and access of digital information and have become indispensable in the information-driven age. He said the proposed Airtel facility will be one of the first of its kind in the Northeast region, and noted that Tripura was chosen after initially considering other states.
He said the state is steadily moving towards paperless governance, from the state cabinet and government departments to districts, sub-divisions, and the three-tier panchayat system, which is increasing the demand for secure data storage and security.
Saha pointed out that banks, private institutions, e-commerce platforms, social media companies, and cloud service providers require reliable local data infrastructure supported by uninterrupted power supply and robust cybersecurity systems.
Emphasizing the employment potential, the Chief Minister said the development of the IT sector will create employment opportunities in the state and help reduce the migration of youth to other states. He said that with the shift towards artificial intelligence and machine learning, indigenous data infrastructure is crucial to ensure data security and digital sovereignty. Speaking about the existing capacity, Saha said that Tripura currently has three data centers: the NIC data center established in 2019 with approximately 500 TB of storage, the NIXI CSC center established in 2014 with a capacity of around 800 TB, and a state government data center with 80 servers and 500 TB of storage, which are insufficient to meet the growing demand.
He added that the Airtel data center will have a dedicated G+3 building, a 5 MW power capacity, and advanced multi-layer security systems. Officials said the project is expected to create jobs and attract ancillary businesses, while other investors have also expressed interest in setting up data centers in the state.
