Google has formally launched construction of its largest artificial intelligence hub outside the United States, marking a major expansion of its global infrastructure and a significant investment in India’s growing digital economy.
At a groundbreaking ceremony on Tuesday in Visakhapatnam, a major port city in the southeastern state of Andhra Pradesh, company executives and government officials hailed the project as a transformative step for both Google and India. The technology giant first announced the investment in October 2025, committing $15 billion over five years to build the sprawling facility.
The new campus, located in Visakhapatnam, widely known as Vizag, will serve as a cornerstone of Google’s global AI operations. It is designed to meet the soaring computing demands of advanced artificial intelligence systems, including services such as Gemini and Google Search.
“Today marks the first concrete milestone in Google’s largest commitment to India’s digital future,” Bikash Koley, Google’s Vice President for Global Infrastructure, said during the ceremony.
He described the project as a “full-stack AI ecosystem,” anchored by a gigawatt-scale data centre campus. The facility will provide the massive computational power required to train, deploy and operate next-generation AI technologies.
The investment comes as global demand for data centres continues to surge, driven by the rapid expansion of cloud computing and the growing energy needs of AI applications. Companies worldwide are racing to build infrastructure capable of supporting increasingly sophisticated models and services.
For India, the project represents another major step in its ambitions to become a global technology and innovation hub. Andhra Pradesh officials said the development would help position Vizag at the centre of the country’s digital transformation.
Nara Lokesh, Andhra Pradesh’s Minister for Information Technology, said the state aims to make the city a leading destination for AI and deep-tech industries.
Beyond the data centre itself, Google also plans to strengthen India’s international digital connectivity. Vizag is being developed as a key landing point for submarine internet cables linking India with Singapore and other global markets.
Google said establishing a new subsea cable gateway in Vizag would diversify India’s existing cable landing infrastructure, which is currently concentrated in Mumbai and Chennai. This would improve the resilience of the country’s digital network and enhance economic security.
The company also plans to expand strategic fibre optic networks connecting India to major international markets, further integrating the country into the global digital economy.
Officials said the project is expected to generate significant economic activity, attract related technology investments and create new employment opportunities in the region.
As construction begins, the Vizag facility is set to become one of the world’s most important AI infrastructure centres, underscoring India’s increasingly central role in the future of global technology.
