Google to Set Up $6 Billion Data Centre in Visakhapatnam
Google is planning to build a massive data centre in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh, with an investment of $6 billion. This will be Google’s first large-scale “hyperscale” data centre in India. Out of the total amount, $2 billion will go toward setting up renewable energy systems to power the facility, making it one of the biggest projects of its kind in Asia.
Boost to Asia-Pacific Operations
This centre will strengthen Google’s presence in Asia, adding to its existing data hubs in Singapore, Malaysia, and Thailand. Once completed, the Visakhapatnam centre will be Google’s largest in Asia in terms of both size and money spent.
Strategic Coastal Location
Visakhapatnam’s coastal location makes it ideal for future internet infrastructure, especially undersea cable landing stations. Andhra Pradesh plans to build three such stations, aiming to create internet capacity that is double that of Mumbai, which currently leads in data infrastructure.
Key Project for Andhra’s Growth
State officials consider this project a major milestone in Andhra Pradesh’s efforts to attract big investments after the 2014 state split. Since Hyderabad became part of Telangana, Andhra Pradesh has been working hard to rebuild its tech and investment image.
Nara Lokesh, the state’s IT Minister, is currently in Singapore to meet investors. He said Andhra Pradesh has already secured 1.6 GW in data centre projects and wants to reach 6 GW in the next five years. “We are building a complete system combining data centres, energy, and global connectivity,” he said.
Focus on Green Energy
Because data centres use a lot of electricity, Google’s focus on renewable energy is a major highlight. Andhra Pradesh may need up to 10 GW of power for its growing data industry, and Google’s green investment could set an example for others.
Support for Data Localisation
Meanwhile, Google made this announcement just as it confirmed that its new AI model, Gemini 2.5 Flash, will be processed in India. Moreover, this move supports the Indian government’s push for data localisation, which requires storing and processing personal data within the country under upcoming laws.
Rising Competition and Market Impact
If confirmed, this investment will put Google in closer competition with other tech giants like Amazon and Microsoft, who are also expanding their cloud services in India. The project will significantly boost India’s total data centre capacity, which experts estimated at 1.2 GW earlier this year.
The state government plans to make a formal announcement in October and share details of other upcoming data centre projects.
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