By Sanjay Motwani
The rapid evolution of technology and increasing reliance on digital infrastructure highlight a critical challenge for the data centre industry—a growing skills gap and talent shortage. In India, the shortage of skills is compounded by the rapid growth of the data centre market; it is projected to reach $12.9 billion by 2033, driven by increasing digital adoption and infrastructure needs. This growth is threatened by the rising skills shortage and lack of young professionals entering the industry. Data centres nowadays aren’t merely about racks of servers; they require expertise in power management, cooling technologies, networking, and cloud computing—areas where many professionals lack hands-on experience.
According to reports, India is expected to experience a shortfall of more than 100,000 professionals who are equipped to oversee and operate complex data centre ecosystems. One of the major reasons behind this gap? Education system and curriculum aren’t keeping up with industry needs. Even though universities continue to produce IT and engineering graduates, many of them lack practical experience with real-world technologies like liquid cooling systems, high-speed networking, or sustainable energy solutions. A Nasscom report says 73% of Indian IT companies report a lack of skilled talent, particularly in data centre operations.
While global players like AWS and Microsoft are investing heavily in India to strengthen its data storage, local talent still needs upskilling to meet the demand. The solution lies in targeted upskilling. Upskilling initiatives can help bridge the gap, equipping professionals with the hands-on knowledge necessary for modern data centre operations including data center sustainability, AI-driven management, and advanced networking.
Governments, private companies, and educational institutions must collaborate to create industry-specific courses, inter-nships and certification programmes. Building requisite skills with hands-on training, capstone projects will help newcomers succeed, and mid-career professionals avoid becoming redundant.
Another emerging challenge is the disconnect between employers and employees. Today’s professionals seek more than compensation—they value career growth, flexibility, role clarity, and a meaningful work environment. For their part, employers expect adaptability, continuous learning, and a future-ready skill set. The disconnect stands in the way of clear communication and understanding of expectations.
To address this, organisations must invest time in aligning goals with their workforce. This includes clearer articulation of role-based skill expectations, investing in structured learning and development programs, and fostering open conversations around career pathways.
Addressing the skills gap in the data centre industry requires a multi-pronged approach. Industry-specific upskilling, curriculum alignment, L&D investment, and public-private partnerships must become standard practice.
The write is VP-Asia Pacific, Legrand Data Centre Solutions.
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