New Delhi/Visakhapatnam: India is poised to emerge as a “trusted value chain and supply chain partner” for the world in electronics manufacturing, Union IT minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said on Tuesday at the groundbreaking ceremony of a $15 billion Google Cloud India AI Hub in Visakhapatnam.The project, being developed in partnership with Google Cloud, Adani ConneX and Airtel Nxtra, will include a 1 GW hyperscale AI data centre. The Andhra Pradesh government has allocated around 600 acres across Turluvada, Rambilli and Adavivaram for the project.In the presence of Andhra Pradesh chief minister N. Chandrababu Naidu and industry leaders, Vaishnaw said India’s rise in electronics manufacturing is being driven by strong policy support and a push towards self-reliance in critical technologies.“India has already established itself as a leader in IT services and is now rapidly advancing in electronics manufacturing,” he said, adding that the country is on track to become a global hub in sectors such as semiconductors, artificial intelligence, quantum and space technologies.Highlighting progress, the minister said mobile phones have become one of India’s top export items, with nearly 50% of domestic electronic demand now being met through local production. He added that under the government’s semiconductor mission, commercial production has already begun, signaling a shift towards deeper manufacturing capabilities.Calling on global technology firms to deepen their presence, Vaishnaw urged companies, including Google, to manufacture servers, GPUs and semiconductor components within India, positioning the country as a trusted partner in global supply chains.On the Visakhapatnam project, the minister said the city is set to evolve into “AI Patnam”, emerging as a major hub in India’s AI and data ecosystem. The hyperscale data centre, he said, will drive innovation across sectors including education, healthcare, logistics, aerospace and agriculture.He also pointed to Google’s subsea cable investments from Visakhapatnam, linking India to global digital routes across Australia, the Middle East, Europe, Africa and the United States, strengthening the country’s digital connectivity backbone.Google Cloud global infrastructure vice president Bikash Koley said the AI Hub would serve as a key foundation for India’s digital transformation and its ambition of becoming a developed economy by 2047.Adani Group chairman Jeet Adani said the 1 GW hyperscale facility marks a significant milestone in India’s AI journey and will position Visakhapatnam as a new digital gateway for the country.
