Arya News - The AI hub will be the largest centre of Google outside the US, combining powerful AI infrastructure, data centre capacity, new large-scale energy sources and an expanded fibre optic network.
HYDERABAD – US tech giant Google on Tuesday announced plans to invest $15 billion over the next five years to set up an Artificial Intelligence (AI) hub in Visakhapatnam to enable it to deploy its full AI stack to accelerate AI-driven transformation across India.
The project is being undertaken in keeping with the Centre’s vision of Vikshit Bharat 2047, accelerating the expansion of AI-driven services. The new AI hub will be the largest centre of Google outside the US, combining powerful AI infrastructure, data centre capacity, new large-scale energy sources and an expanded fibre optic network all in one place.
Hailing the investment, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the hub will be a powerful force in democratizing technology and secure India’s place as a leader in global technology.
The announcement about the AI hub by Google Cloud CEO Thomas Kurien came at Bharat AI Shakti, an event hosted by Google in New Delhi and a pre-event to AI Impact Summit 2026.
Prime Minister Modi, expressing delight over the launch of the Google AI Hub in Visakhapatnam, wrote in a post on X, “This multi-faceted investment that includes gigawatt-scale data centre infrastructure aligns with our vision to build a Vikshit Bharat. It will be a powerful force in democratizing technology. It will ensure AI for All, delivering cutting-edge tools to our citizens, boosting our digital economy and securing India’s place as a global technology leader!”
Google CEO Sundar Pichai revealed that he had shared with the prime minister the plans for the first-ever Google AI hub in Visakhapatnam, which he termed a landmark development. “This combines gigawatt-scale compute capacity, a new international subsea gateway and large-scale energy infrastructure. Through it, we will bring our industry-leading technology to enterprises and users in India, accelerating innovation and driving growth across the country,” said Pichai.
Expressing his gratitude to Prime Minister Modi, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu said, “This centre will be the foundation for India’s first AI City and the largest AI and data hub outside the US. Additionally, Visakhapatnam will host Google’s cable landing station, further strengthening our digital backbone… This isn’t just a Google project; this is now our project. India’s AI journey has begun and Andhra Pradesh will lead it.”
The investment of approximately $15 billion (USD) over five years (2026-2030) is Google’s largest investment in India to date. According to Google, the AI hub is expected to generate at least $15 billion (USD)over five years (2026-2030) in American gross domestic product (GDP) due to new economic activity from increased cloud and AI adoption.
“This initiative creates substantial economic and societal opportunities for both India and the United States – while pioneering a generational shift in AI capability,” said the US tech giant in a release.
Google will partner with AdaniConneX and Airtel, and the AI hub will be built with the same cutting-edge infrastructure that powers Google products like Search, Workspace and YouTube.
The AI hub investment includes the construction of a new subsea gateway connecting to Google’s more than two million miles of existing terrestrial and subsea cables and establishing Visakhapatnam as an AI and connectivity hub serving not only India but the rest of the world.