Google to invest $15bn in India, set up biggest AI hub outside the US

Tech giant Google on Tuesday announced plans to invest $15 billion in India over the next five years, unveiling its largest artificial intelligence (AI) and data hub outside the United States.

Speaking at a ceremony in New Delhi, Thomas Kurian, CEO of Google Cloud, said the company would build a “gigawatt-scale AI hub” in Visakhapatnam, in the southern state of Andhra Pradesh.

“This will be the largest AI hub we are investing in anywhere outside of the U.S.,” Kurian said, adding that the facility would eventually expand to multiple gigawatts to meet surging demand for AI-driven tools and cloud solutions.

India, expected to surpass 900 million internet users by the end of this year, has become one of the world’s fastest-growing AI markets as both businesses and individuals increasingly adopt digital technologies.

India’s IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw welcomed the move, saying the investment would significantly advance the country’s India AI vision. “This digital infrastructure will go a long way in meeting our national AI goals,” he said.

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu called the announcement “a very happy day,” while the state’s Technology Minister Nara Lokesh described it as a “game-changing investment” that followed “a year of intense discussions and relentless effort.”

“It’s a massive leap for our state’s digital future, innovation, and global standing,” Lokesh said in a post on X. “This is just the beginning.”

Google’s announcement comes amid a broader wave of global AI companies expanding their presence in India.

Earlier this month, Anthropic said it would open an office in India next year after CEO Dario Amodei met with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who praised India’s “vibrant tech ecosystem and talented youth driving AI innovation.”

OpenAI also plans to open an India office later this year, citing a fourfold increase in ChatGPT usage over the past year, while Perplexity announced a major partnership with Airtel in July, offering 360 million customers a free one-year Perplexity Pro subscription.