Business Page Writer
By Nonso Agbodi
In a landmark announcement that could reshape the global digital landscape, Google has pledged a massive $15 billion investment to transform Visakhapatnam, a bustling port city in India’s Andhra Pradesh state, into a world-class connectivity and artificial intelligence (AI) hub. The move, hailed as the company’s largest data and AI investment outside of the United States, positions India at the very heart of the next technological revolution.
The news was unveiled in New Delhi by Google Cloud CEO Thomas Kurian, who described the initiative as a “gigawatt-scale leap” for India’s digital economy. For a country on track to reach more than 900 million internet users by year’s end, the promise of advanced digital infrastructure is more than an upgrade—it’s a seismic shift in how India will interact with the world.
A Hub Built on Scale and Vision
Google’s upcoming Visakhapatnam facility will be no ordinary data centre. Instead, it is envisioned as a sprawling AI hub capable of scaling into multiple gigawatts of computing power. Such massive capacity will not only support India’s booming digital economy but also link the nation into global internet arteries through a new subsea cable gateway, creating a direct bridge for data traffic between Asia and the wider world.
“This project will serve as a digital backbone, knitting India’s diverse regions into a unified network of connectivity and innovation,” Kurian said. He emphasized that the facility will serve both enterprises and everyday users, unlocking new opportunities in cloud computing, cybersecurity, and generative AI.
Globally, data centres are being dubbed the “new refineries” of the digital age, powering everything from social media to banking systems. But what sets Visakhapatnam apart is its dual focus: energy efficiency and AI readiness. Google has confirmed that renewable energy will be a core component of the hub’s infrastructure, aligning with both India’s climate goals and the company’s global sustainability pledge.
India’s Strategic Play
For India, the development represents more than a technological milestone—it’s a declaration of intent on the global stage. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has made no secret of his ambition to see India emerge as a leader in artificial intelligence and digital infrastructure.
“This hub combines gigawatt-scale compute capacity, a new international subsea gateway, and large-scale energy infrastructure,” Google CEO Sundar Pichai said in a post on X after speaking with the Prime Minister. “It will accelerate AI innovation and drive growth across the country.”
India’s Information Technology Minister, Ashwini Vaishnaw, praised the initiative, calling it “a vital step in realizing our India AI vision.” Meanwhile, Andhra Pradesh’s Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu described the development as a “historic breakthrough,” noting that it followed a year of intensive negotiations.
His Technology Minister, Nara Lokesh, was even more candid: “Data is the new oil, and data centres are the refineries. This is about India not just participating but leading in the global digital economy.”
A Global AI Gold Rush
Google’s bold move comes at a time when competition among AI giants to gain a foothold in India is intensifying. Just this year, OpenAI confirmed plans to launch its India office, with CEO Sam Altman pointing out that ChatGPT usage in the country had grown fourfold. Rival AI startup Anthropic also announced it would open operations in India, while Perplexity struck a partnership with Airtel to give its 360 million mobile users access to its AI-powered platform.
For global tech leaders, the logic is simple: India is the world’s fifth-largest economy, with an unparalleled combination of digital adoption, youthful demographics, and government-backed infrastructure programs. The country represents not just a consumer base, but also a fertile ground for AI innovation.
Google’s Visakhapatnam project, however, dwarfs many of these efforts in scale and ambition. By combining a subsea cable gateway, a megawatt-to-gigawatt-scale compute centre, and a renewable energy ecosystem, it effectively positions India as a new global connectivity hub—on par with Singapore, Frankfurt, and Silicon Valley.
The Road Ahead
The transformation of Visakhapatnam into a global digital hub is not without challenges. Building and powering a gigawatt-scale AI data centre requires vast amounts of land, energy, and secure logistics. Ensuring data sovereignty, cybersecurity, and equitable access for smaller Indian businesses will also be critical.
Yet, if executed successfully, the project could redefine India’s digital identity. It would give the country more autonomy over its data, reduce reliance on foreign infrastructure, and create a springboard for AI research, startups, and enterprise solutions.
“This is about preparing India not just for the internet of today, but for the intelligence economy of tomorrow,” said Kurian.
For Visakhapatnam, the project promises not only technological prestige but also economic transformation—creating thousands of jobs, fostering ancillary industries, and potentially turning the city into a global technology destination.
As India’s leaders celebrated the announcement, one sentiment echoed across government halls and business circles: the future is not arriving—it is already here, and it is being built on the eastern coast of India.
