Google and AdaniConneX started building data centres in Visakhapatnam to boost India’s AI infrastructure. The project, which saw a ground-breaking on 28 April, uses air cooling to save water. Google plans a $15 billion investment for this hub. The first phase should be ready for service by December 2028.
The campuses at Mudasarlova and Tarluvada are part of a proposed data centre development with a capacity of about 1 gigawatt, as Visakhapatnam seeks to emerge as a major hub for artificial intelligence and digital infrastructure.
Unlike conventional data centres that use evaporative cooling systems and cooling towers, the proposed facilities will rely on air-based cooling technology, avoiding the large volumes of water typically consumed by such systems, PTI reported citing sources with knowledge of the matter.
However, there will still be some requirement for freshwater, and 80 per cent of this requirement will be used for landscape irrigation and flushing. No treated wastewater will be discharged into the Mudasarlova Reservoir, PTI reported citing sources.
The measures are intended to reduce the campuses' impact on local water resources, including the Mudasarlova Reservoir and the adjoining Kambalakonda Wildlife Sanctuary.
Capacity and scale of the project
The proposed data centre, which is to be made with a $15 billion USD investment from Google, making it the company's largest investment in India,
The planned hub is designed around three datat data centre campuses, with capacity planned at approximately 1 gigawatt (GW). AdaniConneX and Nxtra by Airtel are key infrastructure partners.
Construction began after ground-breaking on 28 April this year. As per AdaniConneX, December 2028 has been set as the target for the first phase of the project to be ready for service.
How Vizag could become a major AI hub
As AI keeps getting more capable, it also requires more and more specialised processors, high-speed memory, and storage. Hyperscale data centres like the one coming up in Vizag, can support AI training, inference and cloud services at a scale that ordinary office-based IT facilities cannot.
The infrastructure that Google will bring could allow businesses, developers and researchers based in India can access advanced AI services without building their own computing facilities.
Google is also planning to develop a subsea cable gateway at Vizag, with international routes connecting toward Singapore, Australia and South Africa.
The data centre is also expected to generate ₹10,000 Crore for Andhra Pradesh, Union Minister of State for Communications and Rural Development Dr Pemmasani Chandrasekhar said while announcing the project.