Google, Airtel and AdaniConneX to build US$15b AI hub in India

Details: John Tanner; Category: Data Centres & Networks; 15 October 2025; 7144 views

Bharti Airtel and Google confirmed on Tuesday that they signed a strategic partnership deal to invest a combined US$15 billion in Google’s first AI hub and gigawatt-scale data centre in India, with AdaniConneX roped in as an ecosystem partner in the project.

Under the five-year partnership agreement, Airtel and Google will jointly establish a purpose-built gigawatt data centre in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh, between 2026 and 2030 to support AI workloads in India.

AdaniConneX, a JV between Adani Enterprises and EdgeConneX, will co-develop the core AI data centre infrastructure and invest in new transmission lines, clean energy generation, and energy storage systems to power the facility.

“To unlock India's massive potential in the AI age, we are investing in the Google AI hub, which will provide the critical foundation to drive growth and enable businesses, researchers, and creators to build and scale with AI,” said Google Cloud CEO Thomas Kurian in a statement.

As part of the project, Airtel said it will build a new cable landing station (CLS) in Visakhapatnam to host new international subsea cables that will join Google’s global terrestrial and subsea infrastructure. That would include Meta's ambitious Project Waterworth global subsea system, which will feature landing points in Visakhapatnam and Mumbai, according to a report last week from the Economic Times.

The Visakhapatnam CLS is intended to complement existing landing stations in Chennai (which lies south of Visakhapatnam on India’s east coast) and Mumbai on the west coast, where Google’s Blue-Raman cable is expected to be ready for service by the end of this year.

Airtel will also supply an intra-city and inter-city fibre network designed to not only support connectivity for the data centre hub, but also increase the resiliency and capacity of India’s digital backbone and deliver faster experiences by bringing Google’s full AI stack and consumer services closer to Indian businesses.

“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,” said Airtel vice chairman and MD Gopal Vittal.

Rumours of the project have been circulating since July, when Reuters cited unnamed government sources claiming Google planned to invest US$6 billion to build a gigawatt data centre in Visakhapatnam.

Google Cloud’s Kurian said the US$15 billion AI hub is its largest investment in India to date, and is aligned to the Indian government’s “Viksit Bharat 2047” vision to accelerate expansion of AI-driven services in the country.

“Meeting the demands of India’s AI mission requires cutting-edge infrastructure, computational power and ubiquitous connectivity,” Kurian said. “Working with Airtel, we will deliver next-generation AI services and create the essential digital backbone required to power inclusive growth across India.”