Mangaluru flagged ‘India’s next major data-centre hub’ in feasibility study submitted to K’taka govt
Mangaluru: Karnataka’s digital-economy ambitions received a strong push this week after a detailed feasibility study identified Mangaluru as one of the country’s most promising emerging locations for large-scale data-centre development.
The report, titled Mangalore Today: India’s Next Potential Data Center Hub – A Feasibility Assessment, has been prepared jointly by the Karnataka Digital Economy Mission (KDEM), the Silicon Beach Programme (SBP) and Deloitte. It was formally presented to IT Minister Priyank Kharge and Electronics, IT/BT and S&T Department Secretary Dr N. Manjula during a data-centre session at the Bengaluru Tech Summit.
According to the report, the coastal belt is well positioned to support India’s expanding data-centre ecosystem. It highlights competitive land and power costs, a strengthening GCC presence, rising AI adoption, the potential for an undersea cable landing station and the scope for developing a future-ready 1-GW-plus data-centre cluster powered by green energy.
The national data-centre market is projected to reach USD 21.8 billion by 2030, and the study outlines how Karnataka can anchor this growth through a twin-hub strategy with Bengaluru as the primary hyperscale hub, supported by Mangaluru and Hubballi as regional nodes for edge infrastructure, low-latency computing and AI-driven capabilities. Within this framework, the report positions Mangaluru as one of the strongest upcoming destinations in India for the next phase of data-centre expansion.
The study notes that Mangaluru offers lower land and electricity costs compared with Mumbai and Chennai, a supportive coastal industrial ecosystem, a fast-growing digital talent base, a rising GCC footprint and increasing industry interest along the coastal corridor.
KDEM chairperson B.V. Naidu said the global shift towards AI, data dominance and cloud adoption demands robust and future-proof digital infrastructure. He pointed out that Mangaluru has the right mix of coastal advantage, competitive environment and a growing pool of talent and industry to play a leading role.
Silicon Beach Programme founding member Rohith Bhat described Mangaluru as standing at a turning point. As global digital systems move towards AI, hyperscale computing and high-performance connectivity, he said regions that combine talent with cost efficiency will shape the next decade of digital growth. The study, he added, shows a clear pathway for Mangaluru to evolve into a major data-centre zone with coordinated effort and timely support.
The report concludes that with sustained planning and execution, Mangaluru could emerge as India’s globally competitive “Silicon Beach” and generate thousands of jobs in the digital-economy sector.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Screenwriter Salim Khan on ventilator support and stable, say doctors
Mumbai (PTI): Veteran screenwriter Salim Khan suffered a brain haemorrhage which has been tackled, is on ventilator support as a safeguard and stable, doctors treating him said on Wednesday, a day after he was admitted to the Lilavati Hospital here.
The 90-year-old, one half of the celebrated Salim-Javed duo which scripted films such as "Sholay", "Deewar" and "Don" with Javed Akhtar, is in the ICU and recovery might take some time given his age.
"His blood pressure was high for which we treated him and we had to put him on a ventilator because we wanted to do certain investigations. Now the ventilator was put as a safeguard so that his situation doesn't get worse. So it is not that he is critical," Dr Jalil Parkar told reporters.
"We did the investigations that were required and today we have done a small procedure on him, I will not go into the details. The procedure done is called DSA (digital subtraction angiography). The procedure has been accomplished, he is fine and stable and shifted back to ICU. By tomorrow, we hope to get him off the ventilator. All in all, he is doing quite well," he added.
Asked whether he suffered a brain haemorrhage, the doctor said, "Unko thoda haemorrhage hua tha, which we’ve tackled. No surgery is required.
As concern over Khan's health mounted, his children, including superstar Salman Khan and Arbaaz Khan, daughter Alvira, and sons-in-law Atul Agnihotri and Aayush Sharma, have been seen outside the hospital along with other well-wishers. His long-time partner Akhtar was also seen coming out of the hospital.
Khan, a household name in the 70s and 80s, turned 90 on November 24 last year. It was the day Dharmendra, the star of many of his films, including "Sholay", "Seeta aur Geeta" and "Yaadon Ki Baraat", passed away.
Hailing from an affluent family in Indore, Khan arrived in Mumbai in his 20s with dreams of stardom. He was good looking and confident he would make a mark in the industry as an actor. But that did not happen. And then, after struggling for close to a decade and getting confined to small roles in films, he changed lanes.
He worked as an assistant to Abrar Alvi and soon met Akhtar to form one of Hindi cinema's most formidable writing partnerships. They worked together on two dozen movies with most of them achieving blockbuster status.
Other than "Sholay", "Deewar" and "Don", Khan and Akhtar also penned "Trishul", "Zanjeer", "Seeta Aur Geeta", "Haathi Mere Saathi", "Yaadon Ki Baarat" and "Mr India".
