Google Plans $15-Billion Visakhapatnam AI Data Centre

Google is developing a 15-billion artificial intelligence (AI) data-centre project in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh. Planned as the company’s largest AI hub outside the United States, the facility is expected to become operational in 2028. It forms part of Google’s planned 15-billion investment in India from 2026 to 2030.

AI data-centre project

The project is planned as a gigawatt-scale campus spanning more than 600 acres across three sites, in partnership with the Adani Group. Data centres house computer servers, storage systems and networking equipment that process and store digital information. AI computing uses such infrastructure to train and run machine-learning systems.

Visakhapatnam’s connectivity and access to international submarine internet cables are among the stated advantages for locating digital infrastructure there. Submarine cables carry data between countries through fibre-optic lines laid on the seabed.

Water and power requirements

Google’s infrastructure and energy head for Asia-Pacific, Alexander Smith, said the company assessed the local watershed before selecting air-cooling technology instead of water-based cooling systems. A watershed is the area of land that drains rainfall and streams into a common water body. The company has pledged to replenish 120% of the freshwater used for non-cooling needs across its operations by 2030.

Residents and environmental campaigners have raised concerns about freshwater availability, ecological risks and pressure on electricity supplies. Google has said it will fund required power-infrastructure upgrades and invest in additional clean-energy projects in Visakhapatnam. Three petitions challenging the project’s environmental clearances have been filed before the National Green Tribunal (NGT).

Land acquisition and employment

Some villagers in Tarluvada have alleged that land was acquired without adequate notice and that promised benefits did not materialise. The Andhra Pradesh government has disputed claims of forcible acquisition and said eligible residents received compensation. A legal challenge to the environmental clearances filed in the Andhra Pradesh High Court in August 2026 did not halt construction.

Google estimates that the project could generate about $688 million in local economic activity annually. It has said a typical data-centre project employs about 4,200 construction workers a year during a three-to-five-year building period and supports hundreds of specialist on-site roles once operational. The Andhra Pradesh government has projected 188,000 direct and indirect jobs from the development.

Important Facts for Exams

• The National Green Tribunal was established under the National Green Tribunal Act, 2010, to handle environmental cases.
• The NGT applies principles including sustainable development, the precautionary principle and the polluter-pays principle.
• Air-cooling systems transfer heat using air rather than relying on water-based cooling systems.
• Fibre-optic submarine cables carry international telecommunications data across the seabed.

The National Green Tribunal is a statutory body headquartered in New Delhi, with zonal benches in several parts of India.