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The Andhra Pradesh government on Tuesday, April 28, laid the founding stone for the construction of what is being described as the country's largest data centre — a one-gigawatt Google facility in Visakhapatnam, built at an investment of Rs 1,500 crore.
The data centre is being developed in partnership with the Adani Group and Airtel. The state government had initially allotted 480 acres for the project; the allocation has since been expanded to 601.4 acres.
Speaking at the foundation-laying ceremony, Jeet Adani said the company is building an integrated platform spanning energy generation, transmission, digital networks and data centres, powered by clean energy and designed for scale, speed and resilience. "Just as Bengaluru defined India's technology revolution, Visakhapatnam is going to anchor India's AI revolution. Visakhapatnam is positioning itself to help define that future," he said.
Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu said the state was creating an ecosystem for AI to thrive. "For AI to transform economies and societies, it must be affordable. And affordability begins with energy," he told the gathering. He also said that North Andhra, long associated with outward migration in search of jobs, would now become a destination drawing workers from other regions.
The project has, however, drawn sharp criticism from environmental activists, who allege that clearances were granted without adequate scrutiny, transparency, or public consultation. Concerns have been raised over site selection, with claims that nearly 90% of one proposed location falls within a reserve forest. Activists have called for the clearances to be revoked and for the BJP led Union government to conduct a fresh, comprehensive environmental impact assessment.
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