Reliance Share Price Gains Over 1% After Meta Announces Rs. 855 Crore AI Data Centre Partnership

Shares of reliance industries opened in the green on Wednesday morning after the company announced a major strategic partnership with Meta to develop an AI-enabled data centre in India.

The reliance share price rose in early trade, At market opening, reliance industries shares were trading at Rs. 1,282.90, up 1.08% or Rs. 13.60, compared to the previous close of Rs. 1,269.20.

However the stock has been under pressure this year. Reliance industries stock is still down nearly 18% year-to-date, having fallen about Rs. 283.70 from its recent highs.

Reliance-Meta deal Details

According to the official announcement, Reliance Industries and Meta have agreed to jointly develop an AI-enabled data centre in Jamnagar, Gujarat, which will be the first AI data-centre partnership in India.

Under the agreement, Meta will lease capacity in the facility while Reliance will develop and operate the infrastructure. The project is expected to significantly expand the strategic relationship between the two companies, which already collaborate through platforms such as WhatsApp and Jio.

"The first phase of the data centre will have a capacity of 168 MW, making it one of the largest AI-focused facilities in the country. Meta will lease the computing capacity and may scale up its requirements as demand for AI workloads increases." the company statement read.

Reliance Industries and Meta investment details

The initial investment in the project is reported to be around Rs. 855 crore. According to the announced structure, Reliance Industries will hold a 70% stake, while Meta will own 30%. The partnership is designed to combine Meta's expertise in artificial intelligence models and software with Reliance's infrastructure, connectivity and distribution capabilities.

AI data centre to run on renewable energy

One of the big talkpoint of the reliance meta deal is its sustainability focus. The Jamnagar facility will reportedly be powered by renewable energy and cooled using desalinated seawater, reducing the environmental impact of large-scale AI computing operations.

Meta has stated that it will bear the full cost of the energy and water requirements needed to support the facility.