Visakhapatnam: Andhra Pradesh chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Tuesday laid the foundation for a $15 billion Google Artificial Intelligence data centre hub near Visakhapatnam and said it will be a growth engine for India.The facility — Google Cloud India AI Hub — is set to become Google’s largest infrastructure project in the country and its most expansive AI hub outside the United States. With an investment of approximately $15 billion (Rs 1.26 lakh crore) spread over five years, the Visakhapatnam project is being described as the largest single foreign direct investment in India to date. The initiative places Andhra Pradesh at the centre of India’s rapidly evolving digital and AI ecosystem.The project, being developed in partnership with Google Cloud, Adani ConneX and Airtel Nxtra, will include a 1 GW hyperscale AI data centre, with the state govt allocating around 601 acres across Turluvada, Rambilli and Adavivaram. Speaking at the event, Naidu stated the data centre is expected to be operational by Sept 2028. He remarked that Google, which began as a search engine, is poised to become a major driver of India’s economic growth. Naidu described the day as a landmark moment for the country’s digital transformation and compared the project’s potential impact to that of Cyberabad’s development three decades ago. He added that while people around the world search using Google, the company itself had searched for an ideal location for its data centre and selected Visakhapatnam. The data centre will generate significant employment opportunities for local youth, potentially reversing migration trends and transforming Visakhapatnam into a major digital technology gateway and talent destination, Naidu said. “When Google decided to establish its AI data centre in India, we approached Prime Minister Narendra Modi for support. With IT minister Nara Lokesh’s initiative and the PM’s cooperation, this project has now become a reality,” the CM added.Assuring the state govt’s complete support for the project, the CM said there would be no water shortage in the region. “We will bring Godavari water to Visakhapatnam within 60 days. It’s on track to become a global city. Nearly 25% of all investments in the country are coming to Andhra Pradesh, which is not only number one in MoUs and investments but also tops in grounding projects. The Polavaram project will be completed by 2027 and dedicated to the nation. The Bhogapuram international airport is ready and will be inaugurated by PM Modi in July. The first shipment of exports from ArcelorMittal Steel Plant will begin by 2028,” he stated.Union IT, electronics, and railways minister, Ashwini Vaishnaw, who attended the ceremony, described the AI hub as aligned with the Prime Minister’s vision of positioning India as a global technology leader. He noted that the project, along with three subsea cables landing in Visakhapatnam, would form critical infrastructure for the country’s technological advancement.Highlighting India’s progress in semiconductor and electronics manufacturing, Vaishnaw suggested that technology companies should increasingly focus on domestic production of servers, GPUs, and chips required for data centres. He added that such proposals could be conveyed to Google CEO Sundar Pichai.First announced in Oct 2025, the project includes India’s first gigawatt-scale AI hub, comprising three data centre campuses. AdaniConneX and Airtel Nxtra will oversee the construction and associated infrastructure, while Google will deploy AI capabilities and expand digital services nationwide.The foundation-laying ceremony was attended by several dignitaries, including IT minister Nara Lokesh, Adani Group chairperson Jeet Adani, US Consul General Laura Williams, Google’s Global Infrastructure vice-president Bikash Koley, and Bharti Enterprises vice-chairman Rakesh Mittal.
