Reliance Industries outlines a large-scale strategy in New Energy and Artificial Intelligence, with giga-factories, AI-driven automation, and sustainable mobility initiatives expected to influence India’s automotive sector and future fuel ecosystem.
30 Aug 2025 | 4379 Views | By Shahkar Abidi
Reliance Industries Limited is working on an ambitious multi-billion-dollar strategy centered on New Energy and Artificial Intelligence (AI), initiatives poised to significantly impact India's automotive sector, from vehicle manufacturing to sustainable mobility solutions. The Mumbai-headquartered conglomerate unveiled this strategic plan at its 48th Annual General Meeting.
At the core ...
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Reliance Industries Limited is working on an ambitious multi-billion-dollar strategy centered on New Energy and Artificial Intelligence (AI), initiatives poised to significantly impact India's automotive sector, from vehicle manufacturing to sustainable mobility solutions. The Mumbai-headquartered conglomerate unveiled this strategic plan at its 48th Annual General Meeting.
At the core of Reliance's vision is the creation of an integrated New Energy ecosystem, described as spanning "from sand to electrons to green molecules". This includes developing massive manufacturing facilities, or giga-factories, for crucial components like solar modules, batteries, and electrolysers for green hydrogen production.
Work is rapidly progressing on the Dhirubhai Ambani Giga Energy Complex in Jamnagar, which aims to become the largest and most integrated single-site solar complex globally with a 20 GWp capacity. Critically for the automotive industry, a battery giga-factory is slated to begin operations in 2026 with an initial capacity of 40 GWh per year, expanding to 100 GWh per year. The Chairman's statement also indicates that Reliance's electrolyser giga-factory will be operational by the end of 2026, with the ability to scale up to 3 GW per year.
This scale of battery production is vital for accelerating India's electric vehicle (EV) market. Reliance's Chairman and MD, Mukesh Ambani, underscored the magnitude of this shift, stating, "Our New Energy business will be a major driver of growth for many decades, with the potential to become as big as our Oil-to-Chemicals business within the next 5-7 years. In scale, ambition, and impact, it will surpass everything Reliance has done so far."
Complementing this New Energy drive is the establishment of Reliance Intelligence, a new wholly-owned subsidiary dedicated to spearheading India's AI revolution. This venture will focus on building gigawatt-scale, AI-ready data centers powered by green energy, and fostering global partnerships to deliver AI services for various sectors, including those critical to manufacturing.
For automotive manufacturers, the most direct impact will come from Reliance's investment in human-centric robotics powered by AI. This initiative seeks to transform factories into adaptable production systems and warehouses into autonomous supply chains.
This advanced automation promises to enhance efficiency, precision, and flexibility in vehicle assembly and component logistics. "Intelligent automation will transform factories into adaptive production systems, warehouses into autonomous supply chains," the Chairman noted, highlighting the transformative potential of AI in industrial operations.
Beyond manufacturing, Reliance's Jio-bp joint venture is actively expanding its footprint in sustainable mobility. The company has rapidly grown its EV charging and swapping infrastructure across India, positioning itself as a key partner in the nation's transition to electric mobility.
Jio-bp is also working with fleet operators and urban transport systems to offer integrated energy solutions, while planning to introduce new green fuels like biofuels and hydrogen. Furthermore, Reliance's Oil-to-Chemicals business is developing a Hazira carbon fiber facility, set to be one of the world's three largest. Carbon fiber is a high-strength, lightweight material crucial for advanced materials applications, including vehicle lightweighting for improved fuel efficiency and EV range.
Way Forward:
Going by Reliance's history of playing big in its sectoral domain, the company's multi-billion-dollar New Energy and AI initiatives has the potential to reshape India's automotive and fuel sectors. With a 40 GWh battery giga-factory commencing operations in 2026 and a 3 GW green hydrogen electrolyser plant by end-2026, the company is laying the groundwork for sustainable mobility solutions, from electric vehicle components to green fuels