Google’s $6 billion data centre project in Visakhapatnam still on hold; city awaits breakthrough
Nearly a year after Google unveiled plans for a $6 billion, 1-gigawatt hyperscale data centre in Visakhapatnam, ground has yet to be broken. The facility, set to be Google’s first in India and the largest in Asia, was hailed as a transformative investment for the region. Today, the city is asking: when will construction actually start?
Visakhapatnam was chosen strategically, with its coastline providing access to planned undersea cable landing stations that promise high-speed, low-latency connectivity. Officials have spoken of three landing points, potentially doubling Mumbai’s current bandwidth, but completion timelines remain uncertain.
The announcement came in October 2024, when IT and HRD Minister Nara Lokesh met Google Cloud leadership in the United States. Andhra Pradesh’s AI-driven governance and smart city initiatives played a key role in the MoU signing. Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu called it a “strategic win” for the state.
The news generated excitement across the city. Colleges started planning AI and cloud-focused courses, while students and professionals anticipated opportunities to work with advanced technologies closer to home. “This was a chance to be part of something global without leaving Andhra Pradesh,” said R. Sravya, a computer science student. “But if the project keeps getting delayed, the excitement will fade.”
IT professionals also saw potential. “A data centre of this scale could have brought consulting, security, and cloud management jobs to Visakhapatnam,” noted Anil Kumar, a software engineer. “We were looking at long-term career paths here, but the uncertainty is frustrating.”
Real estate developers had hoped the project would boost demand. “Interest in office space and housing surged after the announcement,” said K. Madhusudhan, a local developer. “Many of us started planning projects around expected IT growth. Now we are left waiting for signs that Google will actually break ground.”
According to the government’s roadmap, construction is expected to begin in early 2026 near the proposed landing station. The first 500 MW phase is targeted for 2028, with full capacity by 2030. Renewable energy projects planned to power the centre have also yet to materialize.
For the IT community, delays raise concerns about momentum. “We have heard many promises over the years. This one feels bigger, but unless work begins soon, it risks becoming another story of missed timelines,” said an IT consultant.
For now, the Google Visakhapatnam data centre remains more promise than reality. “Cheaper, faster cloud services from Google could change the game for startups here,” said one local entrepreneur. “But until construction begins, it is just a hope on the horizon.”
Until then, residents and professionals in Visakhapatnam are left with the same question: when will Google start operations in the city?