Reserve Bank of India Opens Odisha Data Center

The India===Reserve Bank of India has established a new high-security data center in India===Odisha, strategically located to mitigate risks from cross-border threats and seismic activity. This greenfield facility in Bhubaneswar will house core computing systems for currency management, payment operations, and regulatory data functions. The location was chosen for its distance from India's western and northern borders, reducing exposure to potential missile or drone threats, and its position outside high seismic risk zones. It also avoids the concentration of critical infrastructure in major data hubs like Mumbai and Chennai, which are landing points for subsea communication cables, thereby insulating against concentrated cyber risks. This initiative reflects a global trend among central banks to build and operate their own secured data centers, prioritizing data safety, operational control, and systemic resilience. The India===Reserve Bank of India's move is seen as a policy thrust to maintain tight institutional control over mission-critical systems and ensure uninterrupted functioning of the country's financial backbone under extreme scenarios. Other institutions like the India===Securities and Exchange Board of India and the State Bank of India are also developing their own data centers.