Key Points
- Ground-breaking held for Google Cloud India AI Hub in Visakhapatnam.
- $15 billion project includes planned 1 GW AI data centre.
- Andhra Pradesh allocates 600 acres for major digital infrastructure project.
The ground-breaking ceremony for the Google Cloud India AI Hub project was held in Visakhapatnam on Tuesday in the presence of Union Minister for Electronics and Information Technology Ashwini Vaishnaw and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu.
The project, announced earlier with an estimated investment of $15 billion, is being developed in partnership with Adani ConneX and Airtel Nxtra and includes a 1 GW hyperscale AI data centre.
The Andhra Pradesh government has allocated around 600 acres of land in Turluvada, Rambilli and Adavivaram areas for the project, the statement said.
Addressing the gathering, Vaishnaw said India is positioned to emerge as a trusted value chain and supply chain partner in electronics manufacturing due to policy support and leadership.
He said India had established itself in IT services and was advancing in electronics manufacturing.
The minister said the country aims to become a global hub in sectors such as semiconductors, quantum technologies, space and artificial intelligence.
He said mobile phones had become one of India’s leading export items and nearly half of domestic electronics demand was being met through local production.
Value Chain and Supply Chain Partner
Vaishnaw said commercial production had started under the Semiconductor Mission and invited global technology companies, including Google, to manufacture servers, GPUs and chips in India.
Referring to the project, he said Visakhapatnam would develop as an AI hub supported by infrastructure and investment.
He said the proposed data centre would have applications across sectors including education, healthcare, aerospace, logistics and agriculture.
The minister also said Google had laid three subsea cables from Visakhapatnam linking digital routes through Australia, the Middle East, Europe, Africa and the United States.
Google Cloud Global Infrastructure Vice President Bikash Koley said the AI Hub would support India’s digital transformation and AI economy, according to the statement.
Adani Group Chairman Jeet Adani said the 1 GW hyperscale AI data centre would strengthen India’s AI infrastructure and position Visakhapatnam as a digital gateway, it added.
