AP will be international data gateway for India: CM Naidu
Visakhapatnam: "While the world searches on Google, the company has selected Andhra Pradesh, which is the beauty of this place," Chief Minister Nara Chandrababu Naidu observed while addressing a gathering at the ground-breaking ceremony of the 1-GW Google Cloud AI Hub organised at Tarluvada in Visakhapatnam on Tuesday.
The facility will be established across 600 acres in Tarluvada, Adavivaram and Rambilli villages, with other private partners, aiming to build a larger multi-gigawatt digital ecosystem in the state. The state government has outlined a long-term vision to develop a multi-gigawatt digital ecosystem with a total capacity of around 6.5 gigawatts, positioning Andhra Pradesh as a major data hub. With a tinge or pride, the Chief Minister characterised the project as a matter of 'immense pride' for north Andhra and a defining moment for the State's technological future. "With this development, Andhra Pradesh will stand tall on the global technology map. And the date, April 28, 2026, will be remembered in the history of Andhra Pradesh and India forever," the Chief Minister exulted, adding that the event marks not just the foundation stone laying ceremony for the cloud AI Hub but the laying of a strong foundation for Andhra Pradesh's digital future.
Highlighting the project's scale, Naidu noted that the AI data centre, backed by an investment of $15 billion, approximately Rs.1.35 lakh crore, will operate with a capacity of 1 Gigawatt, making it the largest of its kind in Asia.
With the speed of doing business that AP believes in, the Chief Minister added, the State is set to emerge as an international data gateway for India.
The Chief Minister mentioned that the upcoming undersea cable landing station in Visakhapatnam will connect major global regions, including Australia, the US West Coast, the Middle East, and the Cape of Good Hope, which would strengthen global digital connectivity even further.
Andhra Pradesh will integrate Google's innovation with the state's speed of governance to build a model for the world, Naidu mentioned, assuring that the NDA government believes in grounding projects in a time-bound manner rather than confining itself to inking pacts.
Emphasising on AI-driven governance with Google, Naidu said that AI will be incorporated across sectors such as education, healthcare, agriculture, logistics, etc. He added that the near future will see AI-powered tutors, doctors, agronomists and personal assistants transforming governance and public services. He said the state wants to produce the best models in various realms and exuded confidence that very soon every citizen will have an AI doctor, AI personal assistant and other forms of AI assistance. Naidu asserted that he will have an AI assistant from tomorrow who will supersede all, though he currently has four IAS secretaries. "Even though four secretaries are currently working, an AI assistant will soon be included for guided decisions and improved efficiency," Naidu observed.
Setting a strict timeline for the completion of the Google Data Centre, Naidu said the project will be inaugurated in September 2028 and extended an advance invitation to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the inaugural. "With the government extending complete support, it would be immensely satisfying if the Adani Group, Bharti Airtel, and Google coordinated with one another to advance the project's launch by months," the Chief Minister underlined.
The foundation stone for the Google Cloud AI Hub was laid in the presence of Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, Union Aviation Minister K. Ram Mohan Naidu, IT Minister Nara Lokesh, Visakhapatnam MP M. Sribharat, Ministers Vangalapudi Anitha, G. Sandhya Rani, Pemmasani Chandrasekhar and Dola Sree Bala Veeranjaneya Swamy, Managing Director of Adani Ports and SEZ Ltd Karan Adani, director of Adani Group Jeet Adani, officials from Google, and MLAs.
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