Powai lies along the Jogeshwari-Vikhroli Link Road (JVLR), linking Mumbai's western and eastern suburbs, with the Eastern Express Highway offering a further link toward South Mumbai and Thane. Internal movement runs via Saki Vihar Road and Chandivali Lane.

Kanjurmarg and Vikhroli are the nearest suburban railway stations on the Central Line. Metro Line 6, under construction along this corridor, should further improve east-west connectivity once operational.

Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport is a short drive away, though peak traffic can extend journey times.

Powai is anchored by two of India's premier institutes: IIT Bombay (established 1958), sited on the eastern shore of Powai Lake, and IIM Mumbai (established 1963, formerly NITIE), located close to the lake's north bank. The suburb also has a campus of Bombay Scottish School, along with S M Shetty School and College, Gopal Sharma School and Chandrabhan Sharma College.

IIT Bombay's incubation cells have helped establish Powai as a start-up hub, earning it the nickname 'Powai Valley'.

Powai is one of Mumbai's established commercial and IT hubs, with a well-connected road network supporting business activity. The Indian Institute of Technology, Mumbai (IIT-Mumbai) was built here in 1958, and major companies including Bayern, Deloitte, CRISIL and Nomura have set up offices in the region.

The locality's office parks and social infrastructure have made it one of Mumbai's most influential commercial neighbourhoods.

Powai's principal attraction is Powai Lake, an artificial lake dammed in 1891 during British rule to help supply drinking water to Bombay; the water is no longer fit for drinking due to sewage and silt inflow, but the lake remains a tourist attraction used for recreation, gardening and fishing. IIT Bombay sits to its east and IIM Mumbai (formerly NITIE) close to its north bank.

A 2022 BMC census counted at least 18 Indian marsh crocodiles living in the lake, which overflows into the Mithi River for about sixty days most years during monsoon.

The locality is tagged as a weekend-hangout destination, with cafes and shopping options centred on the Hiranandani area, alongside the Powai Lake waterfront that draws residents for evening walks and leisure.

Powai falls mainly within Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation's S-Ward, the largest ward in Mumbai. The privately run Dr L H Hiranandani Hospital, located within the Hiranandani complex, was the area's first superspeciality hospital.

Prolific construction over the last two decades has given Powai one of the highest residential population densities in suburban Mumbai, though this has also brought excessive concretisation, a shrinking number of open spaces and green cover, and rising pollution levels.