Speculation is growing that internet search colossus, Google, is intending to set up a server farm in India.
It is believed that the project, estimated at US$1 billion, has already received consent from the Indian government's Board of Approvals. The centre, which will house back-office operations, is likely to be located at a special economic zone in Andhra Pradesh.
No further details of the project have been made available, but according to industry sources, the Indian centre will be the company's second such facility in Asia (following Taiwan) and the seventh globally.
Google will store all the data from its users - e-mails, blogs, photos, documents and chat records, and make it available to users on-line when asked for. The server will permit users to access the internet more quickly and also save on access costs from international locations when volumes are likely to increase.
The storage capabilities of software firms, has become a crucial issue, prompting individual data centre operators and major companies, including Microsoft and Yahoo, to invest billions in building bigger and faster datacenters.
According to an industry expert: There is a good chance that others might follow if Google does', though, a number of obstacles stand in its way before it can begin building farms in India.