Tirupati emerging as digital hub with Disaster Recovery Centre

Tirupati: Tirupati is set to house one more major centre following the State Government’s decision to establish a Disaster Recovery (DR) Centre for the AP State Data Centre (APSDC) at the campus of the International Institute of Digital Technologies near Tirupati airport.

The project, estimated at Rs 224.75 crore including construction, infrastructure and five years of maintenance, is aimed at strengthening AP’s digital backbone and ensuring uninterrupted delivery of government services.

Secretary of the Department of IT, Electronics & Communications, Dr N Yuvaraj, issued the GO No 3 on February 24 noting that APSDC currently does not have a geographically distant (far-site) disaster recovery facility. Several departments have sought DR support for their applications hosted at APSDC, particularly after the ITE&C Department directed migration of applications from private hosting environments to APSDC under the State Data Lake initiative.

In this context, the government decided to establish the DR site at Tirupati to back up APSDC operations in Amaravati.

The proposed centre will function as a dedicated backup facility for APSDC, which serves as the centralised repository of state-level data and hosts a wide range of applications, including government web portals, citizen service delivery platforms and internal administrative systems.

By creating a far-site DR facility, the government intends to ensure seamless continuity of these services.

In the event of floods, cyclones or other emergencies, the Tirupati centre will enable swift data recovery and restoration of services with minimal disruption.

Considering the state’s vulnerability to natural disasters, the facility is viewed as a critical safeguard to protect sensitive information and maintain continuity of governance.

The government has approved estimates of Rs 194.60 crore for construction of the building and establishment of IT and non-IT infrastructure, including advanced disaster recovery equipment.

The project will be executed on a BOOT (Build-Own-Operate-Transfer) basis, under which the selected agency will construct the facility and operate it for five years before transferring it to the government.

In addition, Rs 30.15 crore has been allocated towards operations and maintenance for five years, at Rs 6.03 crore per annum.

The establishment of the Disaster Recovery Centre is expected to significantly enhance data security through reliable backup systems and reduce the risk of permanent data loss. It will also ensure that citizens continue to access essential online services even during technical failures or natural calamities.

For Tirupati, the project strengthens its emergence as a digital and technology hub, opening up opportunities for investment and employment while reinforcing its role in supporting technology-driven governance in the state