Google has announced an ambitious $6 billion investment to develop a hyperscale data center located in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh, India. This project represents a significant expansion of Google’s presence in the region and includes a $2 billion allocation for renewable energy infrastructure. The strategic decision reflects the tech giant’s commitment to sustainable digital growth in Asia.
The proposed facility will become the largest of its kind in Asia, based on both capacity and financial investment. This expansion forms part of a larger regional strategy for Google, with similar projects already planned for Singapore, Malaysia, and Thailand. India has consistently been a focal point for Google’s expansion plans. The company introduced a cloud region in Mumbai in 2017 and followed this with another in Delhi in 2021. Later this year, Google will launch a sovereign AI cloud in collaboration with Airtel Business.
The $6 billion project is in line with Google’s 2020 pledge to invest $10 billion in India over several years to promote the country’s digital ecosystem. This commitment also included a $4.5 billion investment in the Indian telecom giant Reliance Jio Infocomm.
Nara Lokesh, Andhra Pradesh’s IT Minister, spoke optimistically though cautiously about the state’s data center future. While not officially verifying Google’s project, Lokesh mentioned that Andhra Pradesh had already secured commitments for 1.6 GW of data center capacity with ambitions to grow this to 6 GW within five years. The state also plans to build three subsea cable landing stations in Visakhapatnam, which aims to double the current subsea cable capacity found in Mumbai, a major digital hub in India.
Powering this initiative remains a priority. The projects’ energy demands could reach 10 GW over the next five years. Lokesh indicated that while renewable energy is the goal, some coal-fired power will be necessary to ensure continuous data center operations.
