New Delhi, Oct 14 (IANS) Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Tuesday welcomed Google’s announcement of establishing of an artificial intelligence (AI) hub in Visakhapatnam, saying that the initiative aligns with the Indian government’s Viksit Bharat 2047 vision and is expected to provide substantial economic and societal benefits for both India and the United States, while also advancing India’s capabilities in artificial intelligence.

The announcement came at the Bharat AI Shakti event in the national capital, a pre-event to the India-AI Impact Summit 2026.

“This digital infrastructure will go a long way in meeting the goals of our India AI mission. AI services are emerging as a new category in our digital economy, and this facility will help develop our youth for AI services,” Vaishnaw said.

“I would also like to thank the Prime Minister Narendra Modi for giving us this vision of using technology in every walk of life,” he added.

“I would like the industry to help re-skill and upskill our IT professionals in a major way and thank Google for making this a major part of their agenda,” the Union Minister mentioned.

The new AI hub will bring together Google’s full AI stack, including advanced AI infrastructure, data centre capacity, large-scale energy sources, and an expanded fiber-optic network.

With an investment of approximately $15 billion over five years (2026-2030), it is Google’s largest investment in India to date.

According to an analysis commissioned by Google and conducted by Access Partnership, the AI hub is expected to generate at least $15 billion in American GDP over the next five years.

This growth will come from increased cloud and AI adoption, as well as the involvement of US talent and resources in developing and operating the hub.

N. Chandrababu Naidu, Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, said the project marked a “new chapter in India’s digital transformation journey” and highlighted the state’s role in hosting India’s first gigawatt-scale data center and Google’s first AI hub in the country.

Thomas Kurian, CEO of Google Cloud, described the AI hub as a “landmark investment in India’s digital future,” adding that it would help businesses innovate faster and create opportunities for inclusive growth.

–IANS

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