Bihar is rewriting its digital story, and it’s happening fast. The state clocked an impressive 8.64% GSDP growth in FY24–25, ranking 6th nationally. Data consumption has surged 15-fold in just five years, with per capita usage skyrocketing from 1.8 GB to 27 GB. Add to that a thriving startup ecosystem, over 3,700 DPIIT-recognized startups, most founded in the last five years, and you have a state buzzing with digital ambition.
But ambition alone isn’t enough. Connectivity gaps and infrastructure deficiencies still hold Bihar back. Rural regions, home to 75% of the population, continue to battle unreliable power and patchy internet access. With just 32.45 internet users per 100 people, Bihar remains among India’s least connected states.
And that’s why we came up with Patna’s Edge Data Center, a landmark investment designed to close this gap. Closer, faster, and stronger, this initiative is the foundation for a more connected Bihar.
Where Bihar Stands Today: A High-Demand, Under-Served Digital Economy
Bihar presents a rare digital paradox, one of India’s lowest access levels, but one of its highest consumption growth rates.
This combination of low connectivity, high consumption, and explosive growth potential, makes Bihar one of India’s most underserved digital markets.
Users who are online consume more content than the national average, showing that demand is not the problem; infrastructure is.
Bihar is now among India’s top 5 fastest-growing data consumption states, yet remains heavily dependent on metros like Delhi and Mumbai for compute, storage, and cloud processing.
This is the gap the CtrlS’s Patna Edge Data Center is built to bridge.
Why Bihar Needs Edge Infrastructure
Bihar’s digital momentum is undeniable, but it’s outpacing the state’s infrastructure. Today, most of Bihar’s data traffic still routes through distant metro datacenters, creating high latency, slow response times, and unreliable continuity during network disruptions or natural disasters.
For a state that’s rapidly going digital, this dependence is unsustainable.
1. Current Limitations: Distance Hurts Performance
Every byte of data traveling to and from metro hubs like Delhi or Mumbai adds milliseconds of delay, but those milliseconds matter. For financial transactions, telemedicine consultations, or real-time learning, latency translates into lost trust and opportunity. During floods or power outages, these distant networks often falter, exposing the fragility of Bihar’s digital backbone.
2. Impact Across Sectors
The effects ripple across industries. Banks and fintechs need low-latency systems for instant payments. Hospitals depend on uninterrupted connectivity for remote diagnostics. Schools and startups rely on stable access for e-learning and cloud operations. Even government services, from digital IDs to e-governance platforms, stall when infrastructure wavers.
3. The Opportunity Ahead
Bihar’s surging internet adoption and thriving startup scene signal a clear opportunity to build a reliable, local IT backbone. And if India is to become a force to be reckoned with on the global stage, these infrastructure challenges must be solved in Bihar first. Edge infrastructure isn’t just a technical upgrade. It’s the missing link between Bihar’s digital potential and its digital reality.
Government & Policy Alignment Behind Bihar’s Digital Leap
Bihar’s digital progress is not happening in isolation. It’s backed by robust government vision, policy incentives, and institutional support. The Patna Edge Data Center is a direct outcome of this synergy, reflecting how state leadership and private innovation can converge to power Bihar’s next phase of digital growth.
BIADA: The Backbone of Industrial Enablement
The Bihar Industrial Area Development Authority (BIADA) plays a pivotal role in enabling digital infrastructure. With 75 industrial areas across 31 districts, BIADA offers the regulatory clarity, land access, and institutional support essential for high-capex projects like data centers. Its streamlined land acquisition and clear zoning frameworks eliminate one of the biggest roadblocks to digital infrastructure, bureaucratic delay.
State Government’s Digital Push
Through the Bihar IT Policy 2024, the government has introduced India’s most attractive incentives offering up to ₹70 crore on ₹100 crore investments. Coupled with the successful rollout of BSDC 2.0, a Tier-III facility hosting 70+ government applications, Bihar has already proven its execution strength. The Bihar Business Connect 2024 event further solidified investor confidence, drawing ₹4,000 crore in IT commitments.
Alignment with Digital India & Digital Bihar
Patna’s Edge DC perfectly aligns with the Digital India and Digital Bihar visions, extending the benefits of e-governance, connectivity, and digital empowerment to every corner of the state. With BharatNet and BSWAN 2.0 expanding rural connectivity, edge infrastructure becomes the missing link that turns policy vision into everyday access.
Catalyzing Regional Growth: Patna’s Edge DC as Bihar’s Digital Multiplier
The establishment of the CtrlS’ Patna Edge Data Center is triggering a multiplier effect across the regional economy. For every direct job within the facility, 7.4 additional jobs are created in supporting industries, from logistics and construction to cloud services and software development.
Empowering IT, Startups, and SMEs
With CtrlS planning over 20 Tier-2 city facilities in the next three years and Patna already nearing full utilization, Bihar’s IT ecosystem is entering a new growth phase. The Bihar IT Policy 2024 reinforces this with capital subsidies, interest subvention, and employment-linked incentives that make the state an attractive destination for IT and ITES firms. For startups and SMEs, local data infrastructure means lower latency, reduced costs, and scalable access to digital tools that were once out of reach.
Fueling Sectoral Innovation
The ripple effects extend across BFSI, healthcare, e-commerce, and education. Bihar’s fintech footprint alone has grown exponentially, financial outlets up 98% since 2011, and fintech retailers now form 48.8% of the ecosystem. The Patna Edge DC will anchor this momentum, acting as a digital hub for innovation, employment, and inclusive growth across Bihar.
Connectivity & Resilience Advantages
The Patna Edge Data Center brings carrier-neutral interconnectivity, eliminating dependency on distant metro hubs and significantly reducing both latency and bandwidth costs.
For businesses, every millisecond saved translates to smoother operations, faster transactions, and improved user experience.
Key advantages are:
- Reduced Latency & Cost Efficiency: Localized routing ensures faster data exchange, critical for BFSI, healthcare, and e-commerce operations that rely on real-time performance.
- Disaster Resilience: Located in a flood-prone state, the facility provides continuity and redundancy, ensuring uninterrupted operations even during regional disruptions, a vital safeguard for financial institutions and emergency services.
- Compliance-Ready Infrastructure: Fully aligned with India’s evolving regulatory ecosystem, including the DPDP Act 2023, RBI’s data localization norms, IRDAI, and HIPAA guidelines, the Patna Edge DC ensures secure, compliant data storage within national borders.
Bihar’s Digital Future: From Connectivity Gaps to a Connected Growth Engine
A decade ago, Bihar’s digital story was one of limited access and infrastructural lag. Today, it’s a story of acceleration. 8.64% GSDP growth, 15x jump in data consumption, and thousands of new startups building on digital-first models.
The future, however, will be defined not just by growth but by how intelligently Bihar powers it, through edge computing, AI adoption, and next-generation connectivity.
Powering the 5G & AI Revolution
With 5G networks rolling out nationwide, Bihar’s readiness depends on low-latency edge infrastructure. The Patna Edge Data Center serves as a local compute hub for AI-driven applications (from predictive healthcare and smart agriculture to real-time logistics and security analytics). By processing data closer to users, Bihar gains the agility needed to fully leverage AI and IoT ecosystems.
Accelerating Fintech & Enterprise Expansion
Bihar’s fintech base, which grew nearly 9x between 2014 and 2022, will benefit immensely from faster, secure, and compliant data processing. As more enterprises look eastward, Patna emerges as a strategic gateway for BFSI, IT/ITES, and e-commerce firms scaling operations across Eastern India.
Advancing Digital Governance & Inclusion
Projects like BharatNet and BSWAN 2.0 are transforming over 8,000 Gram Panchayats into digitally enabled nodes. Edge infrastructure amplifies this by ensuring real-time governance, telemedicine access, and digital education delivery, bridging not just the digital divide, but the development divide.
We are so close to Bihar’s digital future. Fair to say, it’s already taking shape, one connected district at a time.
CtrlS Patna Edge DC: Building the Digital Nerve Center of Eastern India
Patna’s digital rise now has a solid foundation, literally. Apart from the existing operational 100 Racks+ operational facility in Patna, CtrlS Datacenters has announced a ₹400 crore investment to develop a 10MW Edge Data Center in the Pataliputra Industrial Area, just 300 meters from its existing facility. This greenfield project is designed for scale, efficiency, and sustainability, marking a defining moment in Bihar’s digital transformation journey.
The new site strengthens CtrlS’s national edge network, connecting Patna to an expanding mesh of hyperscale and edge data centers across India, from Mumbai and Hyderabad to Lucknow and Kolkata. Together, they form a decentralized, high-speed digital backbone ready to power India’s next decade of data growth.
Key Highlights:
- 10MW IT capacity, ~1,000 rack space at full build-out.
- Carrier-neutral interconnectivity, enabling flexibility and reduced latency.
- Low PUE design with renewable energy integration for sustainable operations.
- 3-layer, military-grade security with biometric and 24/7 surveillance systems.
- Fail-safe power architecture and redundant network infrastructure for uninterrupted uptime.
Beyond its specs, what sets the Patna Edge DC apart is its purpose. It’s not just a data center, it’s a catalyst for digital inclusion. By bringing compute power closer to users, CtrlS enables faster cloud access, AI workloads, fintech processing, and e-governance services, all from the heart of Bihar.
On a Concluding Note
The Patna Edge Data Center is more than infrastructure; it’s the digital backbone driving Bihar’s economic transformation.
As the state accelerates into its connected future, CtrlS invites businesses, startups, and institutions to explore how its cutting-edge infrastructure can power their digital growth and resilience across Bihar and beyond.
Vipul Kumar, Vice President – Edge & Network Business, CtrlS Datacenters
Vipul is a seasoned telecom and datacenter leader with over two decades of rich experience spanning submarine cable systems, edge datacenters, and network infrastructure ecosystems. He is passionate about building sustainable, compliant, and scalable digital infrastructure that empowers regional enterprises, SMEs, and hyperscale players alike. As Vice President – Edge & Network Business at CtrlS, he leads initiatives that bridge connectivity and compute — from fiber and network deployments to strategic partnerships and business development, building the network foundation and ecosystem partnerships that power CtrlS’s pan-India edge datacenter expansion.
marketing@ctrls.in