How Google and Adani Are Building the Nerve Centre of India's Al Age

Google and Adani's $15 billion Vizag megaproject aims to reshape India's digital future.

- By Musharrat Shahin | [e-mail]

WHEN GOOGLE and the Adani Group announced plans to jointly develop a $15 billion AI data center campus in Visakhapatnam, it was a significant step in India's effort to strengthen its digital infrastructure. The multiyear project, scheduled to run between 2026 and 2030, aims to establish the country's first large-scale, AI-focused data hub.

However, this initiative raises essential questions about India's readiness in terms of its energy capacity, environmental sustainability, data protection framework, and its ability to manage and maintain such extensive, high-density infrastructure.

A Strategic Shift Eastward

Google and Adani's $15 billion Vizag megaproject marks a shift from India's traditional data center hubs of Mumbai, Pune, and Chennai. With a deep-water port, a planned submarine cable station, and strong Asia-Pacific connectivity, Visakhapatnam offers strategic advantages. The facility, developed by AdaniConneX in partnership with EdgeConneX and supported by Airtel, will deliver gigawatt-scale computing for advanced AI workloads with improved latency and reliability.

According to Sanchit Vir Gogia, Chief Analyst at Greyhound Research, Vizag represents India's pivot from digital consumer to digital producer.