Visakhapatnam, Apr 28 : Adani Group Director Jeet Adani and Bharti Enterprises Vice Chairman Rakesh Bharti Mittal on Tuesday underlined the importance of infrastructure, energy, and connectivity in shaping India’s AI ecosystem, asserting that Visakhapatnam is set to emerge as a major digital gateway.
Speaking after the foundation-laying ceremony of the USD 15 billion Google AI data center near Visakhapatnam, Jeet Adani said the Adani Group and Airtel are also playing a key role in its construction.
He added that the global AI race is being defined not only by software but also by the ability to build large-scale infrastructure, noting that India stands at a crucial juncture.
“There are moments that define the course of history, and today marks one such moment in Visakhapatnam as it steps forward to anchor India’s AI-driven digital future,” said Jeet Adani.
The project, being developed in partnership with AdaniConneX and Nxtra by Airtel, aims to establish a gigawatt-scale AI ecosystem aligned with the vision of Viksit Bharat (developed India).
He noted that India currently has about 1.3 gigawatts (GW) of data center capacity and said nearly 1 GW is being envisioned in a single location in Visakhapatnam, reflecting the scale of the transformation.
Jeet Adani highlighted that energy remains central to the AI ecosystem, stating that the cost of intelligence is directly linked to the cost of power and that affordable energy will drive widespread adoption.
He pointed out that the development of undersea cable infrastructure in the port city would position it as a new digital gateway, reducing latency and enabling faster AI workloads.
Meanwhile, Mittal said that the Andhra Pradesh government led by Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu has consistently demonstrated policy clarity and execution capability.
He said Visakhapatnam, historically a maritime gateway, will now evolve into a gateway for the intelligence age, supported by strong fiber networks and digital infrastructure.
“The opportunity for this region is immense, and Visakhapatnam will serve as the gateway for Digital India and intelligence-driven infrastructure,” Mittal said.
He highlighted that Nxtra by Airtel currently operates over 120 data centers across India and said the upcoming project would be sustainable and powered by renewable energy.
Mittal added that the initiative would include a state-of-the-art cable landing station and robust intra-city and inter-city fiber networks to enhance resilience and capacity.
Both corporate leaders emphasized that strong partnerships involving global technology firms and domestic infrastructure providers will play a key role in building India’s AI capabilities.
They noted that lower energy costs would reduce the cost of computing, training, and deployment of AI models, making the technology more accessible and scalable.
Highlighting Andhra Pradesh’s leadership, they said the state’s focus on speed, policy clarity, and execution is helping attract large-scale investments and positioning Visakhapatnam at the center of India’s AI ambitions.
They expressed confidence that the project would drive innovation, expand access to technology, and create new economic opportunities across sectors.
Similarly, Bharti Airtel Executive Vice Chairman Gopal Vittal noted that Airtel’s integrated capabilities, including advanced data centres, green power, ultra-low latency fiber networks, and next-generation cable landing infrastructure, will enable large-scale AI infrastructure in Visakhapatnam.
“Through our strategic partnership with Google and Adani to build this landmark AI hub, we will help advance India’s digital ambitions,” Vittal said.
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