Chennai's data centres struggled to weather the storm

Annavilaas in Jebel Ali Village, Dubai, is known across West Asia for its Indian delicacies.

- SHINE JACOB & SHIVANI SHINDE

On December 5, however, visitors to the restaurant received an unexpected message from the managers: the hotel was unable to generate bills that day. The reason was also unusual - Cyclone Michaung had hit the coasts of Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh, causing the server in Chennai to go down due to floods.

When Business Standard called, the restaurant informed us that the problem was solved within hours, by Tuesday night. However, a cyclone in Chennai showing its colours in Dubai is an example of the state fast becoming a hub of data centres. Chennai has large data centre players such as NTT, CtrlS, and Microsoft, among others.

The Japanese major NTT not only has a data centre in Chennai but also has its new subsea cable system-MIST. The cable spans 8,100 kilometre and will connect Malaysia, India, Singapore, and Thailand.

Responding to an email sent by Business Standard, CtrlS said: "Our Chennai facility is not operational yet at the moment. Once operational, our facility, designed and constructed to meet the highest standards of resilience, can withstand adverse weather conditions." "Additionally, remote access capabilities enable data centre personnel to monitor and manage operations and make necessary adjustments from offsite locations, further ensuring the continuity of data and business operations," it added.