Bharti Airtel (“Airtel”), today, entered into a strategic partnership with Google to set up India’s first Artificial Intelligence (AI) hub in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh. This landmark initiative will accelerate the adoption of AI across India, strengthen the country’s digital backbone and bring Google’s full AI-stack and consumer services closer to Indian businesses.
Google’s AI hub in Visakhapatnam is a multi-faceted investment of approximately $15 billion (USD) over five years (2026-2030) comprising gigawatt-scale data center operations, supported by a robust subsea network and clean energy, to drive the most demanding AI workloads in India. It will be brought to life in close collaboration with ecosystem partners including Airtel and AdaniConneX.
Airtel and Google will jointly establish the purpose-built data center in Visakhapatnam, as well as a state-of-the-art Cable Landing Station (CLS) to host Google’s new international subsea cables that will join its extensive global terrestrial and subsea infrastructure. Airtel will also create a robust intra-city as well as inter-city fibre network as a part of this project. This high-capacity, low-latency network will deliver faster experiences to Google users and customers; increase the resilience and capacity of India's digital backbone; as well as drive digital inclusivity and transformation across India, bringing the benefits of AI to more people and businesses nationwide.
Gopal Vittal, Vice Chairman and Managing Director, Bharti Airtel Limited, said, “This partnership with Google is a defining moment in India’s digital future. By combining world-class AI infrastructure with our nation’s extraordinary talent and also expanding global connectivity, we are laying the foundation for India to become a leader in the AI-driven era. With Visakhapatnam becoming a new hub on the world’s AI map, we are ensuring that India has the opportunity to set the pace for innovation, digital inclusion and economic growth—not just for our people, but for the world.”
Thomas Kurian, CEO, Google Cloud said, “Meeting the demands of India’s AI Mission requires cutting-edge infrastructure, computational power and ubiquitous connectivity. Working with Airtel, we will deliver next-generation AI services and create the essential digital backbone required to power inclusive growth across India.”