Amit's Blog

The Gulf’s Royal Titans: Wealth, Power, and Geopolitical Chess in the House of Saud, Al Nahyan, Al Sabah, and Al Thani The House of Saud, Al Nahyan, Al Sabah, and Al Thani families, ruling Saudi Arabia, Abu Dhabi, Kuwait, and Qatar, have transformed oil wealth into global influence over the past 35 years, amassing fortunes from $112 billion to over $1 trillion. Through sovereign wealth funds, military might, and soft power, they’ve shaped geopolitics—think Saudi-led Yemen wars, UAE’s COP28 gambit, Qatar’s World Cup spectacle, and Kuwait’s quiet diplomacy. Their leverage lies in energy markets, strategic investments, and diplomatic maneuvering, balancing ties with the U.S., China, EU, Russia, and India to maximize influence. Yet, their power invites scrutiny: vast wealth fuels inequality, authoritarianism draws human rights ire, and regional rivalries (e.g., Qatar blockade) expose cracks. This analysis dives into their wealth growth, power dimensions, and geopolitical impacts.  ...

Executive Summary India’s data center market has surged from ~100 MW in 2010 to ~950 MW by 2024, driven by digitalization, cloud adoption, and policies like Digital India and RBI’s 2018 data localization mandate. Valued at USD 5.9 billion in 2023, the market is projected to reach USD 21.87 billion by 2032, with a CAGR of 13.37%.  Mumbai and Chennai dominate with ~70% of capacity, while tier II/III cities like Ahmedabad and Lucknow are emerging. Key players, including CtrlS, Yotta, Nxtra, AWS, AdaniConneX, Microsoft, Google, Sify, Equinix, and NTT, drive competition, with hyperscale facilities leading growth.  Power demand, currently ~1% of national consumption, could rise to 5–7% by 2030, necessitating renewable energy adoption. Opportunities include AI-driven demand, edge computing, and India’s low global capacity share (3% vs. 20% data production). Challenges like cybersecurity, talent shortages, regulatory complexity, and infrastructure gaps persist.  Government incent...