BJP state president PVN Madhav was addressing the media in Visakhapatnam on Tuesday. | Photo credit: V. RAJU
Visakhapatnam will emerge as the artificial intelligence hub of Southeast Asia under the visionary leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, according to BJP state president PVN Madhav.
“What IT did for Hyderabad in 30 years, AI will do for Visakhapatnam now,” Mr. Madhav said here on Tuesday.
The facility would attract huge investment, create jobs and shape India’s digital future, he noted.
“The Prime Minister has given special attention to Andhra Pradesh by allocating mammoth projects, the latest being Google Data Center and AI Hub with an investment of ₹1.33 crore,” he said.
Mr. Madhav said the Google project is the largest FDI in the country. The undersea cable network would connect 12 countries in Southeast Asia. The project would put Visakhapatnam firmly on the world map.
He made a PowerPoint presentation of the Centre’s efforts to bring Google to Visakhapatnam in the presence of representatives of IT entrepreneurs and the media.
Explaining the Centre’s efforts to bring Google to Visakhapatnam, Mr. Madhav said the Center has taken significant steps to strengthen the AI ecosystem. India’s AI mission, which was approved in March 2024 with an initial budget of ₹10,371 crore, was significantly increased by doubling the funds to ₹20,000 crore in September 2025.
Google CEO Sundar Pichai and Mr. Modi recently met and discussed the project in New Delhi and finally made an official announcement earlier this month, Google CEO Sundar Pichai said.
“The Prime Minister reiterated that India should transform itself from AI consumers to AI creators. Hence, it is taking steps to create AI as part of its commitment to Atmanirbhar Bharat. Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu also supports Mr. Modi’s vision,” Madhav said.
Later, addressing the media, Mr. Madhav said that the Modi government is giving a strong boost to Andhra Pradesh’s growth by providing several first-of-its-kind projects to the state, making it a national and global investment destination.
Referring to some of the projects, he said NTPC’s green hydrogen energy project in Visakhapatnam with an investment of ₹1.8 crore was the first green energy project in the country. Second, South India’s first semiconductor manufacturing plant was also coming up in Andhra Pradesh. BPCL was setting up a mega oil refinery at Nellore with an investment of ₹84,000 crore, he added.
“Project Google is now a game changer and will put Visakhapatnam on the global technology map,” said Mr. Madhav.
He said that YSRCP President YS Jagan Mohan Reddy has not yet responded to the Google project, indicating that they are not interested in welcoming such a great device. He also criticized the IT minister of Karnataka for commenting on the Google project.
Published – 21 Oct 2025 21:48 IST
