Google announced on Tuesday that it will invest $15 billion over the next five years to establish a massive artificial intelligence (AI) hub in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh. This will make it the company’s largest such project outside the United States.
Largest AI investment by Google outside the US
Thomas Kurian, CEO of Google Cloud, described the Visakhapatnam project as the company’s “largest AI hub investment anywhere in the world outside of the US.” The forthcoming 1-gigawatt data centre campus will serve as a critical node in Google’s expanding global network, enabling the company to power advanced AI workloads and cloud services.
Earlier estimates from Andhra Pradesh officials had placed the investment at $10 billion, but Google has now confirmed a higher outlay to support long-term capacity and sustainability goals.
Sundar Pichai speaks to PM Modi on Visakhapatnam AI data centre
On Tuesday, Google CEO Sundar Pichai held a conversation with Prime Minister Narendra Modi to discuss the company’s plans for its first-ever AI hub in Visakhapatnam, marking Google’s largest such investment outside the United States.
In a tweet, Pichai said,“Great to speak with India PM @narendramodi @OfficialINDIAai to share our plans for the first-ever Google AI hub in Visakhapatnam, a landmark development.”
He further added,“This hub combines gigawatt-scale compute capacity, a new international subsea gateway, and large-scale energy infrastructure. Through it we will bring our industry-leading technology to enterprises and users in India, accelerating AI innovation and driving growth across the country.”
Google and Adani Enterprises announce partnership
Google and Adani Enterprises have announced the partnership to develop India’s largest AI data centre campus in Visakhapatnam. The multi-faceted project, valued at approximately USD 15 billion over five years (2026–2030), will include gigawatt-scale data centre operations.
This venture, executed through Adani’s joint company AdaniConneX, will be developed in collaboration with ecosystem partners including Airtel.
The project includes co-investments in new transmission lines, clean energy generation, and advanced energy storage systems, supporting both the data centre’s operations.
Speaking about the initiative, Gautam Adani, Chairman of the Adani Group, said, “The Adani Group is proud to partner with Google on this historic project that will define the future of India’s digital landscape. This is more than just an investment in infrastructure. It is an investment in the soul of a rising nation. This partnership is a testament to our shared vision of nationbuilding and our commitment to empowering every Indian with the tools of the 21st century. Visakhapatnam is now set to become a global destination for technology, and we are thrilled to be the architects of this monumental journey.”
Part of global race for AI infrastructure
The investment comes as tech giants intensify competition to build next-generation data centres that can handle the massive computing power required for AI applications. Google alone plans to spend around $85 billion this year worldwide on expanding its data infrastructure.
Rival companies such as Microsoft and Amazon have already committed billions to data centre projects in India, recognising the country’s nearly one billion internet users as a crucial market for cloud and AI-driven services.
India’s strategic role in the AI era
Officials hailed Google’s announcement as a major boost for India’s digital economy. Nara Lokesh, Andhra Pradesh’s IT Minister, said the investment would provide a “strategic advantage in an era where data is the new oil,” and further strengthen India’s position as a global technology hub.
The Visakhapatnam facility will also anchor Google’s broader Asia-Pacific expansion, which includes upcoming data centres in Singapore, Malaysia, and Thailand, according to earlier reports from Reuters.
For Andhra Pradesh, Google’s investment in the City of Destiny represents one of the largest foreign direct investments in the state’s history and a signal of growing confidence in India’s technology infrastructure.
(With inputs from Reuters)
