Google has announced a $15 billion investment to build a 1-gigawatt data center and AI hub in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh, marking its largest single investment in India to date. The project, set to span five years through 2030, will be part of Google’s global network of AI centers across 12 countries and is designed to scale to multiple gigawatts over time. The new hub will serve as a major regional and global digital infrastructure node, with Google also bringing its subsea cable infrastructure to Visakhapatnam. The company has partnered with Indian telecom giant Bharti Airtel to establish the data center and cable landing station, while AdaniConneX, backed by the Adani Group, will handle the physical infrastructure. Google Cloud CEO Thomas Kurian said the facility will offer a full-stack AI solution, including access to Google’s custom Tensor Processing Units (TPUs), its AI models like Gemini, and tools for building AI agents and applications. It will also support core consumer services such as Google Search, YouTube, Gmail, and Google Ads, with the goal of enabling faster, more localized AI processing. Kurian emphasized that the hub will not only serve India but also act as a regional gateway for Asia and beyond. “We see this hub not just serving India but from India serving Asia and other parts of the world,” he said during the launch event in New Delhi. The move comes amid growing Indian efforts to reduce dependence on U.S. tech giants. Following the imposition of a 50% tariff on Indian imports by the U.S. under former President Donald Trump, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has championed the “swadeshi” (made in India) movement. This has led to increased government support for local alternatives to Google services, including Zoho Corporation’s cloud and email offerings, WhatsApp rival Arattai, and MapMyIndia, a Google Maps competitor. Despite these developments, Google remains a major player in India, with 14,000 employees and established cloud regions in Delhi and Mumbai. The Andhra Pradesh government, led by Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu, has been proactive in attracting global tech investment, having previously drawn Oracle and Microsoft to Hyderabad. Indian IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw praised the project, calling it a key contribution to India’s national AI mission. He also proposed expanding connectivity by linking Visakhapatnam with Sittwe in Myanmar and suggested the Andaman Islands as a future hub for global data transfer, citing congestion in Singapore. With strong government backing and strategic infrastructure partnerships, Google’s new AI hub underscores its long-term commitment to India—even as the country seeks to build a more self-reliant digital ecosystem.