‘Democratizing technology’: PM Modi says ‘delighted’ as Google announces $15-billion India AI hub in Visakhapatnam

Prime Minister Narendra Modi hailed tech giant Google's announcement about the launch of an AI hub in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh. "Delighted by the launch of the Google AI Hub in the dynamic city of Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh," PM Modi posted on X on Tuesday.

PM Modi added, “This multi-faceted investment that includes gigawatt-scale data center infrastructure, aligns with our vision to build a Viksit Bharat."

“It will be a powerful force in democratizing technology. It will also 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!,” PM Modi said.

Google to invest $15 bn in AI hub in Andhra

Google will invest $15 billion over the next five years in establishing an AI hub in India, which will include the country's largest data centre in partnership with the Adani Group.

The US tech giant's plan comes amid a tense diplomatic standoff between New Delhi and Washington over tariffs and a stalled trade deal.

The AI hub announcement came during 'Bharat AI Shakti', an event hosted by Google in New Delhi. The event was attended by Electronics and IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu, among others.

Thomas Kurian, the CEO of Google Cloud said the latest Vishakhapatnam AI hub will be connected to the global network of Google.

Kurian also shared that 'Andhra Pradesh AI hub' is set to become Google's largest AI hub outside the US, with the company announcing a USD 15 billion investment over the next five years.

"It's the largest AI hub that we are going to be investing in anywhere in the world outside of the US," Google Cloud CEO Thomas Kurian said at an event here to sign the formal agreement.

The tech super giant said the AI hub at Visakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh will be Google's largest outside the US and will include 1-gigawatt data centre campus, new large-scale energy sources, and an expanded fiber-optic network.

Google CEO Sundar Pichai on Tuesday shared details about the company's first-ever Google AI hub in Visakhapatnam.

Google CEO Sundar Pichai announced on Tuesday, "Great to speak with India PM Narendra Modi to share our plans for the first-ever Google AI hub in Visakhapatnam, a landmark development."

"This hub 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 AI innovation and driving growth across the country," he announced on X.

Gautam Adani reacts

Gautam Adani, the Chairman of Adani Group, said Adani is proud to partner with Google “to build India’s largest AI data centre campus - in Visakhapatnam - engineered specifically for the demands of artificial intelligence.”

"This facility will house the TPU and GPU-based compute power required for deep learning, neural network training, and large-scale AI model inference and create an ecosystem that accelerates AI-driven solutions for India's most critical sectors - from healthcare and agriculture to logistics and finance," he added.

(With inputs from agencies)