Visakhapatnam: Adani Group Director Jeet Adani and Bharti Enterprises Vice Chairman Rakesh Bharti Mittal on Tuesday underscored the importance of infrastructure, energy and connectivity in building India's artificial intelligence ecosystem, saying Visakhapatnam is poised to emerge as a key digital gateway.
The remarks came after the foundation-laying ceremony of a $15-billion AI data centre project led by Google near the port city. Adani said the group, along with Bharti Airtel, is playing a significant role in developing the facility, adding that the global AI race is increasingly defined by the ability to build large-scale infrastructure alongside software capabilities.
Calling the moment pivotal, Adani said the project signals Visakhapatnam's emergence as a hub for India's AI-driven future. The facility is being developed in partnership with AdaniConneX and Nxtra by Airtel, and aims to create a gigawatt-scale ecosystem aligned with the Viksit Bharat vision.
He noted that India currently has about 1.3 gigawatts (GW) of data centre capacity, with nearly 1 GW planned at a single location in Visakhapatnam, underlining the scale of the project. Energy, he said, will be central to AI growth, with the "cost of intelligence" closely tied to power costs. Affordable and reliable energy, he added, will be critical for scaling AI adoption. Adani also highlighted the role of undersea cable infrastructure in positioning the city as a digital gateway, saying it would reduce latency and enable faster processing of AI workloads.
Mittal credited the Andhra Pradesh government, led by Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, for its policy clarity and execution, which he said have helped attract large-scale investments. He said Visakhapatnam, historically a maritime hub, is now set to evolve into a gateway for the "intelligence age," supported by robust fibre networks and digital infrastructure.
He added that Nxtra by Airtel operates more than 120 data centres across India and said the upcoming facility will be sustainable, powered by renewable energy. Plans also include a state-of-the-art cable landing station and extensive intra-city and inter-city fibre networks to enhance resilience and capacity.
Both leaders stressed that partnerships between global technology firms and domestic infrastructure providers will be crucial for building India's AI capabilities. Lower energy costs, they noted, would reduce the cost of computing, training and deploying AI models, making the technology more accessible and scalable.
Gopal Vittal said Airtel's integrated capabilities-ranging from advanced data centres and green power to ultra-low latency fibre and next-generation cable landing infrastructure-will support large-scale AI deployment in the city. He added that the collaboration with Google and Adani will help accelerate India's digital ambitions.
Industry leaders expressed confidence that the project will spur innovation, expand access to technology and create new economic opportunities, positioning Visakhapatnam at the centre of India's AI
growth story.