Google’s AI bet: A strategic infra node

Disciplined execution could re-map the country’s Al economy to India’s east coast and anchor Andhra Pradesh on the global tech map

- DHANENDRA KUMAR

ON OCTOBER 14, Google announced with the Adani Group an investment of $15 billion over 2026-30, to build their first artificial intelligence (AI) hub in India, in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh.

Google has been in the crosshairs of the Competition Commission of India, but this time it will be developmental. The data-centre project is Google’s largest globally and biggest outside the US; it will position India in the the top league. It includes the following components.

Gigawatt-scale Al data-centre campus:

A hyperscale facility capable of powering the most demanding AI workloads and hosting Google’s own models (Gemini, Imagen, Veo) alongside platforms to build custom agents.

International connectivity:

A new subsea gateway at Vizag to tie India with Google’s global cable network, adding route diversity beyond Mumbai and Chennai, strengthening eastern seaboard.

Green energy and network upgrades:

Partnerships to scale up clean-energy supply and fibre expansions, aligning with “sovereign AI” goals to store and process data within India.

Google will bring in ecosystem partners Adani Enterprises (via AdaniConneX) and Airtel for data-centre campus, energy backbone, and subsea/fibre links. The investment is Google’s biggest yet in India. The MoU and partner announcements were made on October 14-15; build-out is envisaged in phases, with power, cooling, fibre, and landing-station works.

Itsemployment estimates are assessed at 1.8 lakh jobs. The bulk spans data-centre operations, construction, power systems, fibre, cooling, security, logistics, and higher-skill AI/cloud roles (machine learning or ML operations, data engineering, trust and safety, and customer success).

Benefits for India

Already digital backbone: