Google will invest $15 billion over the next five years to establish a massive artificial intelligence (AI) hub in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh, making it the company’s largest such project outside the United States, the tech giant announced on Tuesday.
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.
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.
(This is a developing story; check for updates)
Google, artificial intelligence, AI hub, Visakhapatnam, investment
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