Google plans to build a major artificial intelligence (AI) hub in southern India, marking its largest such project outside the U.S., CNBC reported.
Google Cloud CEO Thomas Kurian announced that the company will invest $15 billion in the project over the next five years. The new data center will help Google meet the growing global demand for cloud and AI computing.
The negotiation process between Google and the authorities of Andhra Pradesh, an Indian state where the project is set to be implemented, took about a year. However, State Minister for Human Resources Development Nara Lokesh described it as «just the beginning» of bilateral cooperation.
The project, which includes the construction of three campuses in Visakhapatnam, a port city and industrial center of Andhra Pradesh, is expected to be implemented by Raiden Infotech, an India-based subsidiary of Google.
This announcement is part of a larger trend, as many other tech companies are also investing in data centers to keep up with the fast-growing demand for AI and cloud services.
