Google is making a $15 billion investment to establish a 1-gigawatt AI and data center hub in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh, marking its largest commitment in India to date. The project, set to unfold through 2030, reinforces India’s growing role in the global AI infrastructure landscape, even as the government encourages reduced dependence on U.S. tech giants.
This move follows Google’s earlier $10 billion investment in India announced in 2020. Despite a shifting political environment, including President Donald Trump’s 50% tariff on Indian imports and Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s push for “swadeshi” or locally made technology, Google is doubling down on India as a key hub for AI and cloud operations.
Over the past months, Indian lawmakers have promoted local alternatives to U.S. platforms such as Zoho Corporation’s enterprise suite, Arattai as a rival to WhatsApp, and MapMyIndia as a Google Maps competitor. These initiatives aim to strengthen India’s digital independence but have yet to make a major dent in Google’s dominance.
With over 14,000 employees in India and existing cloud regions in Delhi and Mumbai, Google is scaling up its footprint. The new Visakhapatnam facility will become a cornerstone in its network of AI and cloud centers across 12 countries. Google Cloud CEO Thomas Kurian said the hub will eventually expand to multiple gigawatts, serving as both an innovation and connectivity backbone for the region.
Kurian noted that Visakhapatnam will become a major global connectivity point. The company plans to extend its subsea cable infrastructure to the port city, partnering with Bharti Airtel for the cable landing station and with Adani Group’s AdaniConneX to build the data center infrastructure. Together, these partnerships will strengthen India’s east coast as a key data transfer route connecting Asia to the world.
The AI hub will feature Google’s custom Tensor Processing Units (TPUs), enabling local AI model training and inference at scale. It will also offer access to Google’s Gemini models and developer tools to support advanced AI applications. The infrastructure will power core services such as Search, YouTube, Gmail, and Google Ads, while offering a full suite of AI solutions for Indian enterprises and startups.
Kurian added that the hub would not only serve India but also export AI capabilities from India to Asia and beyond. This aligns with India’s broader ambition to become a regional digital powerhouse.
India’s IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw called the project a vital contribution to the national AI mission. He urged Google to explore expanding into the Andaman Islands to create a new digital bridge for data transfer as Singapore’s infrastructure reaches capacity. He also proposed connecting Visakhapatnam with Myanmar’s Sittwe to enhance connectivity in India’s northeastern region.
The timing of Google’s investment coincides with renewed collaboration between Prime Minister Modi and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu, who has a long history of attracting global tech firms like Oracle and Microsoft. Naidu’s leadership has helped position the state as one of India’s top destinations for tech infrastructure.
For Google, this investment signals a long-term strategy to decentralize its AI infrastructure while maintaining strong local partnerships. As India pushes for greater self-reliance in technology, the move underscores how collaboration, rather than competition, may define the next phase of the country’s digital growth.
By building one of its largest data hubs outside the United States, Google is not just expanding its global network but anchoring its future in a rapidly transforming market of over a billion people. The Visakhapatnam hub could well become the foundation of a new AI era driven from the heart of India.
