Tata-Linked Delhi Data Centre Fire Raises Data Recovery Concerns for Clients, Impacts Google Cloud Services

Fire Causes Major Disruption at Delhi Data Centre

A fire at an STT Global Data Centres India facility in New Delhi has created operational challenges for several customers and raised concerns about data recovery efforts.

According to a letter sent by Novamesh, a Tata Communications unit, parts of the facility suffered extensive damage, making the restoration of affected systems and data difficult. The company stated that recovery work is continuing, but the severity of the damage presents significant obstacles.

Customers Report Data Loss Concerns

Matrix Cellular, a company providing international SIM services, said it is attempting to recover more than two decades of business and operational data affected by the incident. The company stated that customer information, usage records, support history, billing data, and vendor-related records were impacted.

Another customer, internet service provider R2 Net, reported financial losses and service disruptions linked to the outage. The company said critical tracking information stored on affected servers was unavailable following the fire.

Google Cloud Services Also Affected

The incident has also been linked to intermittent Google Cloud network disruptions in India. Google previously reported that a fire at a third-party data centre required an emergency shutdown of networking equipment. Service updates issued by the company indicated that some customers could continue experiencing latency issues until full restoration is completed.

Investigation Underway

Delhi fire authorities said the fire originated in lithium battery units, although the exact cause remains under investigation. STT Global Data Centres India said an independent technical root-cause analysis is being conducted.

The company added that initial assessments suggest the damage was largely limited to one data hall and related infrastructure, while the remainder of the facility continues operating. It also said efforts are underway to support affected customers, including relocation to alternative capacity where possible.

Broader Impact

The affected facility is part of a joint venture between ST Telemedia and Tata Communications, which operates data centres across multiple Indian cities. Tata Communications said services have been restored for customers who subscribed to recovery and backup offerings, while additional recovery efforts continue where feasible.