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Google Cloud AI Hub Vizag
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu on Tuesday laid the foundation stone of the Google Cloud India AI Hub in Visakhapatnam, marking a major step in building large-scale digital and artificial intelligence infrastructure in the state.
The ceremony, part of the foundation laying event for the Adani–Google–Airtel data centre project, was also attended by Union Minister for Electronics and Information Technology Ashwini Vaishnaw, Jeet Adani, Karan Adani, and state MP Mathukumilli Bharat, among other dignitaries.
Also Read: Reliance Industries to set up India’s largest data centre cluster in Andhra Pradesh
Google has earlier announced an investment of USD 15 billion in the project, making it one of the largest foreign direct investments in India’s history. The current foundation stone forms part of that investment, with the AI data centre planned to have a capacity of 1 gigawatt and to be developed across nearly 600 acres in Tharluvada, Adavivaram and Rambilli regions. Companies including AdaniConneX and Airtel Nxtra are partners in the project.
Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw arrived in Visakhapatnam earlier in the day to take part in the ceremony. He was received at the airport by Minister Nara Lokesh and other public representatives of the Telugu Desam Party. Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu is also scheduled to attend the foundation ceremony later in the day.
"Today's celebration embodies the strength of the US, India partnership," said Laura Williams, Consul General at the U.S. Consulate General in Hyderabad.
Referring to the US-India trade deal, Williams said that when PM Modi and US President Donald Trump met in Washington a year ago, they set out a vision to strengthen India–US relations, including a framework to double bilateral trade to USD 500 billion annually by 2030.
She added that the TRUST initiative lies at the core of this partnership, aimed at advancing strategic technology cooperation, while initiatives like the AI hub in Visakhapatnam reflect the growing collaboration and will provide computing capacity for Indian researchers and entrepreneurs to build solutions that improve lives globally.
According to a press release issued by the Andhra Pradesh Information & Public Relations Department, the Google AI Data Centre will have a planned capacity of 1 Gigawatt and will be developed across nearly 600 acres spanning Tharluvada, Adavivaram and Rambilli regions.
Also Read: Google's $15 billion data centre in Vizag to host 5-GW capacity
The project is being positioned as a major step toward building a multi-gigawatt digital infrastructure ecosystem in the state, with a long-term vision of reaching a total capacity of 6.5 Gigawatts.
Officials said the initiative has been enabled by the state government’s “speed of doing business” policy aimed at attracting large-scale global investments. The facility is expected to be supported by subsea cable connectivity, which will provide Visakhapatnam with direct digital links to multiple international locations.
"Andhra Pradesh, and more importantly Vizag is going to attract huge investments, huge commercial activity," said Rakesh Bharti Mittal, Vice Chairman at Bharti Enterprises.
Companies including AdaniConneX and Airtel Nxtra are partners in the project.
"Today India stands at approximately 1.3 gigawatts of data center capacity. Just for context, here today, we are envisioning nearly one gigawatt in a single location," Jeet Adani of Adani Group said.
The data centre is expected to significantly boost employment generation in sectors such as artificial intelligence, cloud operations, cybersecurity, data science, and infrastructure maintenance. It is also likely to attract investments in allied industries including power systems, cooling technologies, server manufacturing and networking.
Officials said the project is expected to position Visakhapatnam as a major AI and cloud computing hub in Asia, potentially drawing interest from global technology firms, startups, research centres and semiconductor companies.
In the evening, Minister Nara Lokesh is scheduled to participate in the Bharat AI Shakti Conclave at Novotel Visakhapatnam Varun Beach.
The ceremony, part of the foundation laying event for the Adani–Google–Airtel data centre project, was also attended by Union Minister for Electronics and Information Technology Ashwini Vaishnaw, Jeet Adani, Karan Adani, and state MP Mathukumilli Bharat, among other dignitaries.
Also Read: Reliance Industries to set up India’s largest data centre cluster in Andhra Pradesh
Google has earlier announced an investment of USD 15 billion in the project, making it one of the largest foreign direct investments in India’s history. The current foundation stone forms part of that investment, with the AI data centre planned to have a capacity of 1 gigawatt and to be developed across nearly 600 acres in Tharluvada, Adavivaram and Rambilli regions. Companies including AdaniConneX and Airtel Nxtra are partners in the project.
Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw arrived in Visakhapatnam earlier in the day to take part in the ceremony. He was received at the airport by Minister Nara Lokesh and other public representatives of the Telugu Desam Party. Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu is also scheduled to attend the foundation ceremony later in the day.
"Today's celebration embodies the strength of the US, India partnership," said Laura Williams, Consul General at the U.S. Consulate General in Hyderabad.
Referring to the US-India trade deal, Williams said that when PM Modi and US President Donald Trump met in Washington a year ago, they set out a vision to strengthen India–US relations, including a framework to double bilateral trade to USD 500 billion annually by 2030.
She added that the TRUST initiative lies at the core of this partnership, aimed at advancing strategic technology cooperation, while initiatives like the AI hub in Visakhapatnam reflect the growing collaboration and will provide computing capacity for Indian researchers and entrepreneurs to build solutions that improve lives globally.
According to a press release issued by the Andhra Pradesh Information & Public Relations Department, the Google AI Data Centre will have a planned capacity of 1 Gigawatt and will be developed across nearly 600 acres spanning Tharluvada, Adavivaram and Rambilli regions.
Also Read: Google's $15 billion data centre in Vizag to host 5-GW capacity
The project is being positioned as a major step toward building a multi-gigawatt digital infrastructure ecosystem in the state, with a long-term vision of reaching a total capacity of 6.5 Gigawatts.
Officials said the initiative has been enabled by the state government’s “speed of doing business” policy aimed at attracting large-scale global investments. The facility is expected to be supported by subsea cable connectivity, which will provide Visakhapatnam with direct digital links to multiple international locations.
"Andhra Pradesh, and more importantly Vizag is going to attract huge investments, huge commercial activity," said Rakesh Bharti Mittal, Vice Chairman at Bharti Enterprises.
Companies including AdaniConneX and Airtel Nxtra are partners in the project.
"Today India stands at approximately 1.3 gigawatts of data center capacity. Just for context, here today, we are envisioning nearly one gigawatt in a single location," Jeet Adani of Adani Group said.
The data centre is expected to significantly boost employment generation in sectors such as artificial intelligence, cloud operations, cybersecurity, data science, and infrastructure maintenance. It is also likely to attract investments in allied industries including power systems, cooling technologies, server manufacturing and networking.
Officials said the project is expected to position Visakhapatnam as a major AI and cloud computing hub in Asia, potentially drawing interest from global technology firms, startups, research centres and semiconductor companies.
In the evening, Minister Nara Lokesh is scheduled to participate in the Bharat AI Shakti Conclave at Novotel Visakhapatnam Varun Beach.
