Bhubaneswar/Alive News: The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has set up a new data centre in Khurda district of Odisha to improve the security and reliability of India’s banking and digital payment systems. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to inaugurate the facility on Sunday.
Spread across 18.55 acres at Info Valley-II near Bhubaneswar, the data centre has been built at an estimated cost of ₹170 crore. It will serve as a disaster recovery facility for the RBI’s main data centre in Navi Mumbai, helping restore essential financial services during major technical failures or other emergencies.
The centre will support important banking and payment systems, including the Unified Payments Interface (UPI), Real-Time Gross Settlement (RTGS) and National Electronic Funds Transfer (NEFT). It will also support data management, cybersecurity, payment settlements, currency management and regulatory operations.
₹170 Crore Centre to Protect Critical Financial Data
The new facility is designed to keep essential banking services running during technical failures, cyberattacks and natural disasters. If the primary data centre in Navi Mumbai becomes unavailable, the Odisha facility will help restore critical systems and reduce service disruptions.
With digital transactions becoming an increasingly important part of India’s financial system, the additional backup infrastructure is expected to strengthen the security and reliability of banking operations.
Advanced Fire Safety and Security Systems
The data centre has specialised infrastructure to protect sensitive servers and computing equipment. Its reinforced-concrete flooring is designed to support heavy servers and high-performance computing systems.
The building also has advanced fire detection and suppression systems that use gas instead of water to control fires. This helps reduce the risk of damage to electronic equipment. Enhanced physical security measures have also been incorporated to protect the facility.
Multiple Backups to Reduce Service Disruptions
The facility is reported to be designed to meet Tier IV standards, which provide a high level of reliability and protection against infrastructure failures.
Its power supply, internet connectivity and cooling systems have multiple backup arrangements. A reported 2N+1 configuration provides additional capacity to help maintain operations if equipment fails. Backup generators and alternative connectivity systems are also intended to keep servers running during disruptions.
These measures aim to reduce downtime and help essential banking and digital payment services continue operating during emergencies.
Why Was Odisha Selected?
The foundation stone for the project was laid by former RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das on March 22, 2023.
Odisha was selected because it is geographically separated from the RBI’s primary data centre in Navi Mumbai. Keeping backup infrastructure in a different region reduces the risk of a single local disaster or technical problem affecting both facilities.
The location also provides an alternative to infrastructure concentrated around major coastal financial hubs. Disruptions to telecommunications networks and undersea cable connections can affect connectivity in such regions.
The new data centre is expected to strengthen India’s financial infrastructure by providing an additional layer of protection for critical banking operations and digital payment services.
