Amaravati, June 15 (IANS) The government of Andhra Pradesh and Google on Monday agreed to establish a special joint task force to explore and accelerate collaboration across multiple sectors, including Artificial Intelligence (AI), cloud computing and digital governance.

The decision was taken during a meeting between Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu and Karan Bhatia, President, Google Asia‑Pacific Region, on the first day of the Chief Minister’s visit to Singapore.

During the discussions, both sides explored opportunities to position Andhra Pradesh as India’s leading hub for AI, data centres and digital infrastructure. The Chief Minister invited Google to play a larger role in the state’s digital governance initiatives and sought support from Google Cloud in leveraging AI‑driven technologies to enhance public service delivery, said a release from the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO).

The Chief Minister explained that Andhra Pradesh aims to strengthen its Real‑Time Governance ecosystem through advanced cloud technologies and AI‑powered solutions. He expressed interest in expanding AI-skilling and cloud-certification programmes in partnership with Google Cloud. He informed Google representatives that the state is establishing AI and Cloud Computing Centres across universities and engineering colleges and sought Google’s support in building a robust innovation ecosystem.

Highlighting Andhra Pradesh’s technology‑led healthcare initiatives, Chandrababu Naidu spoke about the Sanjeevani Project, which aims to deliver accessible, efficient healthcare services through digital technologies. He invited Google to partner in the project and contribute its technological expertise.

The Chief Minister also emphasised Andhra Pradesh’s commitment to green energy development, noting that the state is creating a sustainable energy ecosystem to support data centres and other energy‑intensive industries. He briefed Google on the state’s significant progress in renewable energy and green infrastructure development.

Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu also met Anacláudia Rossbach, Executive Director of UN‑Habitat, and invited the organisation to establish a Centre of Excellence in Andhra Pradesh. He conveyed the state government’s willingness to allocate land for the proposed facility and expressed interest in developing a comprehensive partnership with UN‑Habitat.

The UN‑Habitat representatives responded positively to the proposal. Discussions covered collaboration between universities, the integration of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) into urban planning, professional knowledge‑sharing networks, and sustainable urban development initiatives.

The Chief Minister sought UN‑Habitat’s support for the sustainable growth of Andhra Pradesh’s urban centres. The meeting also explored the implementation of the Participatory Slum Upgrading Programme (PSUP), the development of urban planning frameworks for rapidly growing mid‑sized cities, and the strengthening of municipal finances through innovative mechanisms.

Minister for Municipal Administration and Urban Development P. Narayana, along with senior officials, participated in the meetings.

–IANS

ms/dan