Google’s Mega AI Hub Build Propelling India’s Tech Growth
A US$15bn build is set to deliver gigawatt-scale AI compute, subsea connectivity and a new benchmark for data centre construction in India
Work is progressing on a US$15bn data centre hub for Google in the southern state of Andhra Pradesh, India, spanning three major sites in Visakhapatnam.
The hub occupies 266.6 acres in Taluvada, 160 acres in Adivivaram and 174.8 acres in Rambilli-Achyutapuram, giving contractors a multi-campus footprint to master over a four-year programme.
“It’s the largest AI hub that we are going to be investing in anywhere in the world, outside of the United States,” Thomas Kurian, the CEO of Google Cloud, said when the hub was announced in October 2025, underlining the global significance of the build.
Intra-city and inter-city fibre networks
Construction partners AdaniConnex and Nxtra by Airtel are leading delivery, with Airtel to deploy intra-city and inter-city fibre networks that connect the new international subsea gateway to India’s fast-growing digital economy.
The complex will deploy Tensor Processing Unit (TPU) and Graphics Processing Unit (GPU) compute clusters alongside a new subsea fibre gateway by July 2028, creating dedicated capacity for deep learning, neural network training and large-scale AI model inference.
Google invests in India’s next-generation tech
India’s low data costs and rapidly growing internet user base have made it a natural hub for cloud and AI expansion by global technology giants.
Google’s investment in Visakhapatnam aligns with the Government of India’s Viksit Bharat 2047 vision to transform the country into a fully developed, self-reliant nation supported by domestic digital infrastructure.
By storing and processing AI workloads domestically, the project helps ensure India retains full digital sovereignty over its next-generation tech ecosystem.
India attracts investment with subsidised land
The hub also fits into the Andhra Pradesh government’s plan to develop 6GW of data centre capacity by 2029, with subsidised land and electricity offered to attract global investors.
For construction firms, this creates a pipeline of hyperscale data centre opportunities where civil, structural, mechanical, engineering and plumbing (MEP) and fibre deployment expertise can be leveraged repeatedly across multiple sites and phases.
“The Google AI hub in Visakhapatnam is a landmark investment in India’s digital future,” added Thomas. “We believe that by delivering industry-leading AI infrastructure at this scale, we are creating meaningful opportunities for growth and helping to drive a transformative impact for society.”
Those “meaningful opportunities” extend directly to contractors, subcontractors and suppliers able to meet demanding specifications on power density, cooling efficiency and connectivity.
Data centre scrutiny
As with other large-scale data centres worldwide, the project faces scrutiny over resource use and environmental impact.
Activists in Visakhapatnam have raised concerns around water supplies and proximity to a wildlife sanctuary that is home to leopards and pangolins. Protests featured banners saying “We cannot drink DATA” and handcuffs painted on the Google logo.
Meanwhile, the Andhra Pradesh High Court has ordered the state government to respond to a public interest lawsuit alleging the project will dangerously deplete local water reserves and threaten a critical reservoir.
Officials describe those claims as “incorrect and misleading” while staying open to public feedback.
Google has responded by telling Reuters it will comply with all legal standards and deploy “advanced air cooling to protect vital local water resources”, as well as sound-dampening measures to ensure it is a “quiet, unobtrusive neighbour” to the Kambalakonda Wildlife Sanctuary located 860 metres away.
For construction leaders, this combination of ambition and scrutiny is becoming the new normal for giga-scale data centre work.
In Visakhapatnam, the success of Google’s hub will be measured not just in megawatts and GPUs, but in how well the built environment balances performance, environmental stewardship and long-term social licence.
