Google has announced a significant investment of $15 billion to establish a major artificial intelligence hub in Andhra Pradesh, marking one of its largest investments in India. This project will feature a 1-gigawatt data centre located in the port city of Visakhapatnam. Google Cloud CEO Thomas Kurian stated, "It's the largest AI hub that we are going to be investing in anywhere in the world outside of the US."

Initially, state officials had estimated the investment at $10 billion, but it has now been confirmed at $15 billion over the next five years. This initiative comes as tech giants like Microsoft and Amazon are also investing heavily in data centre infrastructure in India, which is a crucial market with nearly a billion internet users.

The new facility will integrate advanced AI infrastructure, large-scale energy systems, and an expanded fibre-optic network. It is expected to enhance India's capacity for next-generation AI applications and cloud computing. Nara Lokesh, Andhra Pradesh’s IT minister, remarked, "In an era where data is the new oil, such initiatives will serve as a strategic advantage."

The project is anticipated to create over 180,000 jobs, both directly and indirectly, and is seen as a transformative step towards establishing Visakhapatnam as a global tech hub. The partnership with Airtel will also lead to the development of a state-of-the-art Cable Landing Station to support Google’s international subsea cables.

Gopal Vittal, Vice Chairman and Managing Director of Bharti Airtel, highlighted the significance of this collaboration, stating, "This partnership with Google is a defining moment in India’s digital future." The investment is part of a broader strategy by Google to expand its data centre portfolio across Asia, including countries like Singapore, Malaysia, and Thailand.

This new AI hub is expected to play a critical role in Google’s global AI infrastructure, catering to the growing data needs of India and enhancing digital connectivity across the nation.