With its one gigawatt capacity and undersea cable connections to Singapore, Malaysia, Australia, and twelve other nations, the data center will establish Visakhapatnam as a worldwide hub for connectivity.
On Tuesday, October 14, the Andhra Pradesh government and Google in New Delhi signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to spend ₹87,520 crore (USD 15 billion) in the construction of a world-class AI-powered data center in Visakhapatnam.
Google Cloud CEO Thomas Kurian, along with senior Google and Indian government officials, joined Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, Union IT and Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, Andhra Pradesh IT Minister Nara Lokesh, and others to sign the Memorandum of Understanding.
With its one gigawatt capacity and undersea cable connections to Singapore, Malaysia, Australia, and twelve other nations, the data center will establish Visakhapatnam as a worldwide hub for connectivity. By providing cutting-edge digital infrastructure to the area, the AI Data Center will assist industries, healthcare, education, and agriculture.
According to Mr. Thomas Kurian, this is Google’s biggest foreign investment to date. “With the undersea cable network connecting India to 12 countries, Visakhapatnam will become a significant global connectivity center.” This facility will host a number of cutting-edge Google Cloud services in addition to Gemini AI. Additionally, this effort will produce top-tier AI experts,” he said. The business intends to spend USD 15 billion over the next five years, Mr. Kurian said, bolstering India’s digital economy and expanding connections from Visakhapatnam to many countries.
Ms. Minister Nirmala Sitharaman praised the move, calling it a major step forward for India’s digital development. The installation of a subsea cable landing station in Visakhapatnam, in addition to the AI Data Center, is a positive step. The development of the country will depend on this endeavor. Through progressive policies and dynamic government, visionary leaders like Prime Minister Modi and Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu have made this possible,” she added. Andhra Pradesh was the ideal location for the project because of its effective digital governance. “Achieving the ‘Viksit Bharat 2047’ vision requires such competitive technology advancement,” she said.
Ashwini Vaishnaw expressed gratitude to Google for their $15 billion investment choice. “This project will change people’s lives all throughout the nation. Technology-focused states like Andhra Pradesh are crucial to India’s development. Such initiatives are growing quickly thanks to our Data Center Policy,” he said. While plans are in motion to expand connection from Myanmar to the northeastern provinces of India, the new undersea cable system will link South Asia and Australia. Mr. Vaishnaw said, “We are also expanding optical fiber networks in the Northeast using railway routes.”
Mr. Naidu expressed his satisfaction with Google’s commitment, saying: “Google’s decision to spend $15 billion over the next five years is encouraging. I express my gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Ministers Nirmala Sitharaman and Ashwini Vaishnaw for their invaluable assistance. Additionally, I commend Nara Lokesh, the IT Minister, for playing a pivotal role in bringing this project to Visakhapatnam. He underlined the need of data-driven government while recalling his lengthy involvement with the IT revolution from the founding of Hyderabad’s Hitec City.
“More rapid and intelligent decision-making is feasible with both historical and real-time data. One leader that embraces technology quickly is Prime Minister Modi. He recommended holding a Global AI Conference in Visakhapatnam in February of next year after learning about the initiative, Mr. Naidu said. India is unique in the world because of its capacity to adopt and develop new technologies. The Chief Minister said, “We want to bring AI closer to every family and encourage entrepreneurship in every home via our ‘One Family, One Entrepreneur’ project.”