Visakhapatnam
Andhra Pradesh’s Minister for Information Technology, Electronics and Real Time Governance, Nara Lokesh, on Sunday expressed confidence that Visakhapatnam can develop at par with Hyderabad in just 10 years.
Speaking at the foundation-laying ceremony for Sify Technologies’ Rs 1,500 crore AI Edge Data Centre and Open Cable Landing Station (CLS), he highlighted the city’s potential to emerge as a major digital hub.
The 50-megawatt facility, being built on 3.6 acres of state-allotted land by Sify, a NASDAQ-listed subsidiary, will strengthen subsea connectivity and enhance AI infrastructure. Lokesh said the project will not only create over 1,000 jobs but also significantly boost AI computing capacity at the edge level. It is expected to improve data exchange between India and Southeast Asian countries including Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, and Australia.
While it took Hyderabad 30 years to reach its current stature, Visakhapatnam can achieve the same in just a decade, Lokesh remarked. He added that the state government aims to make Visakhapatnam a $1 trillion economy by 2047.
Highlighting Andhra Pradesh’s growing investment climate, Lokesh noted that the state is attracting $120 billion in investments, with nearly half expected to flow into Visakhapatnam. The minister said that projects like the AI Edge Data Centre and CLS will position the city as India’s next global digital gateway, signaling a new era of economic growth and technological advancement.
