Google has made a historic announcement to establish its first artificial intelligence hub in India, marking the company’s largest investment in the country to date. The tech giant will invest approximately $15 billion over five years (2026-2030) to build a comprehensive AI infrastructure facility in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh.
This massive investment aligns with the Indian Government’s Viksit Bharat 2047 vision and represents a significant milestone in India’s digital transformation story. The Google AI hub India initiative will combine advanced AI infrastructure, data center capacity, renewable energy sources, and an expanded fiber-optic network in a single location.
The announcement was made at the Bharat AI Shakti event in New Delhi, attended by key government officials including IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Nara Chandrababu Naidu, and Google Cloud CEO Thomas Kurian.
Economic Impact and Strategic Importance
According to analysis conducted by Access Partnership and commissioned by Google, the AI hub is projected to generate at least $15 billion in American gross domestic product over the five-year investment period. This economic boost will result from increased cloud and AI adoption, along with American talent and resources involved in developing and operating the facility.
IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw expressed gratitude for Google’s commitment, stating that this digital infrastructure will significantly contribute to India’s AI mission goals. He emphasized the importance of industry collaboration in re-skilling and upskilling IT professionals, praising Google for making this a priority.
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu highlighted the investment’s significance, describing it as marking a new chapter in India’s digital transformation. He expressed pride in hosting India’s first gigawatt-scale data center and Google’s inaugural AI hub in the country.
Advanced Infrastructure and Global Connectivity
The Google AI hub India will feature a purpose-built data center campus with gigawatt-scale compute capacity to meet growing demand for digital services across India and globally. Developed in partnership with AdaniConneX and Airtel, the facility will utilize the same cutting-edge infrastructure that powers Google’s core products including Search, Workspace, and YouTube.
When operational, this new data center campus will join Google’s network of existing AI data centers spanning 12 countries. The facility will benefit from technology developed at Google’s research and development centers in Bengaluru, Hyderabad, and Pune, incorporating crucial software and hardware innovations.
Google Cloud CEO Thomas Kurian described the Visakhapatnam AI hub as a landmark investment in India’s digital future, enabling businesses to innovate faster while creating opportunities for inclusive growth.
International Subsea Gateway Development
The investment includes construction of a new international subsea gateway with multiple international subsea cables landing in Visakhapatnam on India’s eastern coast. This infrastructure will connect to Google’s existing network of over two million miles of terrestrial and subsea cables worldwide.
This gateway will establish Visakhapatnam as an AI and connectivity hub serving not only India but the entire global network. The new infrastructure will help meet surging digital demands while providing route diversity to complement existing subsea cable landings in Mumbai and Chennai.
The high-capacity, low-latency pathways will deliver faster experiences for Google users and customers, increase the resilience of India’s digital backbone, and drive digital inclusivity across the nation.
Clean Energy and Grid Resilience
Google operates some of the world’s most energy-efficient data centers and remains committed to responsible infrastructure growth. Building on existing clean energy initiatives in India, the company will collaborate with local partners to deliver new transmission lines, clean energy generation, and energy storage systems in Andhra Pradesh.
This initiative will expand the diverse portfolio of clean energy technologies contributing to India’s electricity grid, supporting the country’s sustainability goals while powering advanced AI operations.
The Google AI hub India project represents a generational shift in AI capability and anchors the next phase of U.S.-India technology cooperation in the AI era, creating substantial economic and societal opportunities for both nations.
