In a move set to reshape India’s digital landscape and cement its status as a global technology powerhouse, Google has announced a landmark $15 billion investment to build its first Artificial Intelligence (AI) hub in the country. The massive project, unveiled on October 14 and 15, 2025, will be located in the southern port city of Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh, and is being hailed as Google’s largest investment in India to date, according to Reuters, Associated Press, and several other major outlets.
The announcement was made during the Bharat AI Shakti event in New Delhi, serving as a prelude to the upcoming India-AI Impact Summit 2026. The event was attended by a roster of high-profile dignitaries, including India’s Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, Union IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu, Andhra Pradesh IT Minister Nara Lokesh, and Google Cloud CEO Thomas Kurian. The formal memorandum of understanding was signed in the presence of these officials, underscoring the national significance of the venture.
Google’s AI hub in Visakhapatnam is set to feature a purpose-built data center campus with an initial capacity of 1 gigawatt—a scale that dwarfs most existing facilities in the region. Thomas Kurian, CEO of Google Cloud, called it “the largest AI hub that we are investing in anywhere outside of the US,” as reported by DW and AP. The campus will be scalable to multiple gigawatts, reflecting the surging demand for AI-driven computing power both in India and globally.
“Through it we will bring our industry-leading technology to enterprises and users in India, accelerating AI innovation and driving growth across the country,” Kurian told attendees at the ceremony. The center will anchor Google’s global network of AI data centers, which already spans 12 countries, and connect directly to the company’s vast network of more than 2 million miles of terrestrial and subsea cables.
One of the most ambitious aspects of the project is the construction of a new international subsea gateway in Visakhapatnam. This gateway will see multiple international subsea cables landing on India’s eastern coast, bolstering connectivity not only for India but also for the wider region. According to Google’s official statement, “This new pathway will complement existing landings in Mumbai and Chennai, providing necessary route diversity and increasing the resilience of India’s digital backbone.”
Indian telecom giant Airtel has partnered with Google to establish the facility, which will include a state-of-the-art Cable Landing Station (CLS) and a robust intra-city and inter-city fiber network. Gopal Vittal, Vice Chairman and Managing Director of Bharti Airtel Limited, described the partnership as “a defining moment in India’s digital future.” He added, “By combining world-class AI infrastructure with our nation’s extraordinary talent and also expanding global connectivity, we are laying the foundation for India to become a leader in the AI-driven era.”
The project’s scale is matched by its economic impact. The investment is projected to generate over 180,000 jobs, both directly and indirectly, making it one of the largest foreign direct investments in India’s tech sector. Andhra Pradesh IT Minister Nara Lokesh estimated the job creation at 188,000, calling the initiative “a massive leap for our state’s digital future, innovation, and global standing,” as reported by Silicon UK.
India’s data center industry has already crossed the 1-gigawatt mark, nearly tripling since 2019, according to a study by JLL. The state of Andhra Pradesh has ambitious plans to develop 6GW of data center capacity by 2029, with Google’s project serving as a flagship for attracting further foreign investment. The state government has offered subsidized land and electricity to lure such high-profile ventures.
Google’s commitment to clean energy is another pillar of the project. As the company expands its operations in Andhra Pradesh, it plans to work with partners to deliver new transmission lines, clean energy generation, and energy storage systems. This focus on sustainability aligns with the Government of India’s Viksit Bharat 2047 vision, which aims to position the country as a developed nation through technological innovation and responsible growth.
Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw emphasized the broader impact of the initiative, stating, “The Google AI hub ushers in a new era for India’s digital economy. This infrastructure breaks new ground in the realm of AI-first data center architecture, anchored by investments in new subsea cable networks and powered by clean energy.”
Prime Minister Narendra Modi also weighed in, praising Google’s investment as a “powerful force in democratizing technology.” In a social media post, Modi remarked, “It will also ensure AI for all, delivering cutting-edge tools to our citizens, boosting our digital economy and securing India’s place as a global technology leader.”
Google CEO Sundar Pichai echoed the sentiment, noting that the hub “combines gigawatt-scale compute capacity, a new international subsea gateway, and large-scale energy infrastructure.” He reiterated Google’s commitment to bringing its “industry-leading technology to enterprises and users in India,” and accelerating AI innovation nationwide.
The facility is designed to support next-generation AI applications, cloud computing, and data-intensive services. With India projected to have more than 900 million internet users by the end of 2025, the demand for such infrastructure is only expected to grow. The hub will serve as a critical node in Google’s global AI infrastructure, delivering high-performance, low-latency services to businesses, researchers, and startups across the country.
Business conglomerate Adani Group is also partnering with Google on the project, further strengthening the initiative’s industrial and technological backing. The collaboration between Google, Airtel, and AdaniConnex is expected to provide the reliable, advanced infrastructure necessary for large enterprises and innovative Indian startups to build and scale their own AI-powered solutions.
As global tech giants pour billions into AI data centers, Google’s Visakhapatnam hub stands out for its sheer scale, ambition, and strategic importance. The investment not only underscores India’s growing role as a technology and talent base in the global AI race but also represents a generational shift in the country’s digital capabilities. With the world watching, India’s southeastern coast is poised to become a beacon for AI innovation, connectivity, and economic transformation in the years to come.
