• Google to build a 1 GW data centre in Visakhapatnam, including $2B in renewable energy
• Project marks Alphabet’s largest data centre investment in Asia and its first of this scale in India
• Andhra Pradesh targets 6 GW of data centre capacity with majority powered by green energy

Google will invest $6 billion to develop a massive 1-gigawatt (GW) data centre and renewable energy infrastructure in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh, according to government officials. The facility, to be built in the port city of Visakhapatnam, includes $2 billion allocated for clean energy to power the site, in what would become the largest such data centre investment in Asia.

First of its kind in India, largest in Asia

The investment marks Google’s first hyperscale data centre in India and supports Alphabet’s multi-billion-dollar regional expansion into markets including Singapore, Malaysia, and Thailand. Alphabet has committed to spending $75 billion globally this year to expand its data centre footprint, despite broader macroeconomic uncertainty.

The Visakhapatnam project will be powered largely by renewable sources, though some capacity will include coal-based generation to meet around-the-clock energy demands.

Supporting Andhra Pradesh’s post-split growth agenda

The state of Andhra Pradesh, governed by a key ally of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has aggressively pursued tech and infrastructure investment since its 2014 bifurcation, which ceded the capital city Hyderabad to Telangana. The state has already secured agreements for 1.6 GW of data centre capacity and aims to scale that to 6 GW within five years.

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Andhra Pradesh IT Minister Nara Lokesh, speaking from Singapore, said several major announcements are forthcoming.

“We’re also working on getting three cable landing stations in Visakhapatnam,” Lokesh said. “We want to create enough of cable network, which will be two times what Mumbai has today.”

Cable landing stations are vital for high-speed internet connectivity to support data centres and are typically located near coastal infrastructure.

Balancing power demand with green goals

Lokesh added that the state anticipates up to 10 GW of additional electricity demand from new data centre projects and is focused on building the green energy infrastructure needed to support it.

“Majority will end up being actually green energy, and that’s the unique value proposition that we bring to the table,” he said.

While some new capacity may come from coal to ensure round-the-clock reliability, the bulk of the power mix is expected to come from renewables.

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