Devendra Fadnavis, Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra, while on a visit to Japan, has invited NTT, a Japanese tech conglomerate, to collaborate on the Artificial Intelligence (AI) centre in Nagpur.

During his Japan tour, Fadnavis met Hideaki Ozaki, Director and Executive Vice-President of NTT Data. NTT already has a data centre in Pune. Fadnavis mentioned the state's data centre policy under preparation and urged NTT to explore locations in Maharashtra beyond Mumbai and Pune. He highlighted Nagpur's potential and the upcoming AI centre partnered with IIM. Ozaki committed to visiting Nagpur and emphasized the importance of green energy and sustainable buildings in data centre construction.

NTT had previously expressed interest in expanding its data centre capacity in India by increasing its locations. They currently operate in 16 cities, including Mumbai, Delhi, and Bengaluru, with plans for Tier-II cities. During the visit, Fadnavis also met with Keiichiro Nakazawa, Senior Vice-President of Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), expressing gratitude for JICA's support in Maharashtra's projects like Metro Phase-3, Mumbai Trans Harbour Link, and Bullet Train.

Fadnavis noted projects like Nag River rejuvenation and Mula Mutha River conservation, managed through a War Room. He also engaged with Nagpur residents in Japan, commending their success and contributions, fostering Japanese investors' interest in Maharashtra.