Lightstorm secures $290m IndusInd Bank facility for AI network

By Milan Rojan

Lightstorm has secured a $290 million debt facility from IndusInd Bank to accelerate the development of an AI-focused fibre network connecting India with Southeast Asia.

The infrastructure provider has launched what it has called India’s ‘AI Superhighway’, a high-capacity fibre network designed to connect AI and data centre hubs across India’s southern corridor with Singapore and Malaysia through the I-2SEA subsea cable system.

Scott McGibbony, Group Chief Financial Officer at Lightstorm, has said the network has been designed to provide a “single, high-performance connectivity layer” between India and major AI hubs across Southeast Asia.

The network has been designed to support growing demand from hyperscalers, data centres and enterprises as AI workloads have increased across the region. Lightstorm has said its infrastructure has been engineered to provide low-latency and deterministic connectivity for AI applications.

The company has said its network currently spans more than 30,000km of terrestrial fibre and 21,000km of subsea fibre, connecting more than 100 data centres globally. The latest funding has been expected to support further domestic expansion while extending connectivity between India and Southeast Asian technology hubs.

The debt facility has a 10-year tenor and has been fully underwritten by IndusInd Bank. Lightstorm has been rated CARE AA- with a stable outlook.

Niraj Shah, Head – Corporate & Institutional Banking, Gems & Jewellery at IndusInd Bank, has said robust connectivity infrastructure has become critical as India has increased investment in AI, cloud computing and hyperscale data centres.

The financing has highlighted the growing investment in digital infrastructure supporting AI adoption, with connectivity networks becoming an increasingly important component of the region’s expanding data centre and cloud ecosystem.