Vizag synonymous with Google gazillion data centre

Visakhapatnam: Soon after announcing the establishment of Google’s largest artificial intelligence hub and data centre outside the United States in Visakhapatnam, IT Minister Nara Lokesh posted on social media that ‘G’ in Vizag stands for ‘Google’.

During the ground-breaking ceremony held in April at Tarluvada, Lokesh highlighted that the ‘G’ (Google) in Vizag echoes across the world.

Reiterating that the project witnessed a pause under the previous government, the IT Minister mentioned that the 1-Gigawatt hyperscale AI data centre coming up with an investment of $15 billion is certain to emerge as an AI hub in South East Asia during the NDA’s rule. “So far, Vizag has been synonymous with the ‘Steel city’ (because of Visakhapatnam Steel Plant). But now, it is gaining popularity as an AI data hub,” Lokesh emphasised.

The Google Cloud AI Hub is set to go beyond functioning as a data centre, marking a defining moment in AP’s growth chapter as it infuses a massive investment of nearly Rs.1.35 lakh crore into Andhra Pradesh, creating nearly 25,000 jobs in the construction phase and generating an ecosystem supporting 2 lakh direct and indirect jobs.

At the ground-breaking ceremony, Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu emphasised, “Even as Google is the most sought-after search engine the world relies on, the global giant selected Andhra Pradesh to set up its Cloud AI Hub.” Apart from Andhra Pradesh’s industry-friendly policy, the ease of doing business and the speed of governance in the state are drawing the attention of global data centres to set up their operations in Andhra Pradesh.

Rather than confining to inking pacts, the Chief Minister pointed out, the NDA government believes in grounding the projects following strict timelines and setting an example for other states to follow suit.

The global giant has made its largest FDI investment outside the US campus. The data centre campuses coming up in Tarluvada in 266.60 acres, Adavivaram and Mudasarlova in 160 acres and Rambilli 174.80 acres are slated to reshape the country’s technological landscape and enable strong data connectivity with Europe, Australia, Africa and the US through subsea infrastructure.Even in the Assembly session, the IT Minister defended the state government’s decision to set up data centres in Visakhapatnam and expressed his concern over how ‘propaganda’ was being carried out deliberately by detractors regarding their water needs and environmental impact. He assured that water for data centres would arrive from the Polavaram project meant for industrial allocation without diverting water from residents. In 18 months, Lokesh mentioned, the government will supply sufficient water through the Polavaram project using a gravity-based supply system, while dedicated pipelines would be facilitated for data centres.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Vasu Potnuru

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Potnuru Srinivasa Rao (Vasu Potnuru) is an experienced journalist specialised in politics, sports, crime, general topics and tribal stories. With 18 years of writing and reporting expertise, he contributes to The Hans India's editorial department as Principal Correspondent based in Visakhapatnam. Vasu Potnuru completed his Bachelor of Business Management. Earlier, he worked as a staff reporter in a leading Telugu vernacular. During free time, the journalist spends time listening to music, playing cricket and shuttle badminton. Vasu Potnuru, an accomplished writer, honed his expertise in various genres such as politics, crime, sports and general topics. He received an award from the HYBIZ Media Awards for the Best Rural Story in both Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. Also, he bagged the Best Crime Reporter Award in Visakhapatnam. He serves in different unions of working journalists and contributes to service activities.

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