Visakhapatnam set to house one of India’s largest data centres

The coastal city of Visakhapatnam will soon host one of India’s largest data centres with a planned capacity of one gigawatt and an initial investment of $6 billion, Andhra Pradesh information technology (IT) minister Nara Lokesh announced on Wednesday.

- Srinivasa Rao Apparasu

Addressing the Andhra Pradesh-UK Business Forum Roadshow organised by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) in London, Lokesh said crucial discussions with Google on setting up a data centre in Visakhapatnam began in August.

“[personally took representatives of the IT giant to the site, showcased the land, and pitched Visakhapatnam as a future hub for digital infrastructure. This initiative marks a major step in strengthening Andhra Pradesh’s position as a global technology and investment destination,” Lokesh, who is also son of chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu, said.

The data centre will be supported by an infrastructure of cable landing stations and renewable energy, aiming to serve Google Cloud, YouTube, Search, and Android users with low-latency services.

Lokesh said the state was focusing on decentralised, cluster-driven growth across multiple sectors. He showcased ecosystems being developed in automotive manufacturing (anchored by Kia), drones, renewable energy, electronics and semiconductors, compressed biogas (CBG), aqua culture, steel, pharma, medical devices, and chemicals.