'Creating quantum computing ecosystem is next big thing'

The Andhra Pradesh government will sign an agreement with Google on Tuesday to develop a 1 gigawatt (Gw) hyperscale data-centre campus in Visakhapatnam. In an interview in New Delhi, Andhra Pradesh Industries Minister Nara Lokesh talks to Archis Mohan about his plans and projects for the state and how the state government has dealt with American tariffs. Edited excerpts:

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How do you see the artificial-intelligence (AI) ecosystem coming up in Andhra Pradesh?

N Chandrababu Naidu (chief minister) has always looked at creating his own niche in the way to project a state. Hyderabad was a beneficiary of the Y2K era, and we piggybacked on that revolution, and that is what made Hyderabad what it is today. One always needs a springboard, which is what we are doing by carving out a niche with data centres. And it is not just data centres but about getting edge computing, getting the sea landing station, and the cable landing stations, and then quantum computing is the next big thing. We are clear on which part of the state will focus on which technology, and then how do you build the ecosystem around it and the cluster approach that we have taken.

You are known to reach out, including on social media, to businesses in Karnataka to relocate to Andhra Pradesh. What are your views on competitive federalism?