New Delhi. Google has announced an unprecedented investment plan in India. The company plans to invest $15 billion to build the largest artificial intelligence (AI) hub outside the US in Visakhapatnam in the southern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh over the next five years.

At an event in New Delhi, Google Cloud CEO Thomas Kurien said that the hub will be developed as the “gigawatt-scale AI base”. “This is the largest AI investment Google has made outside of the US,” he said. We will invest $15 billion over the next five years to build infrastructure that puts India at the forefront of the global map of AI technology. ’

According to Kurien, the AI center that Google is building plans to eventually expand to “many gigawatts of capacity”. This investment will address the fast-growing digital market and demand for AI tools in India. Currently, the number of internet users in India is estimated to exceed 900 million, which has taken the use of technology to new heights at both business and personal level.

India’s IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw thanked Google for its investment and said, “This digital infrastructure will be an important milestone towards fulfilling the goals of our ‘India AI’ vision. This will help position India as a hub for AI technology production and innovation. ’

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu described the project as “a historic and extremely happy day” for the state. His son and state Minister for Technology Nara Lokesh wrote on X that the investment was made possible after a year of intense discussion and tireless efforts. This is just the beginning—a giant leap forward for our state’s digital future, innovation, and global reputation. ’

Google’s decision is yet another example of international companies’ growing interest in the fast-growing artificial intelligence (AI) market in India. Earlier this month, Dario Amodei, CEO of American AI startup Anthropic, met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and announced plans to set up an office in India next year.

“India’s vibrant tech ecosystem and bright young minds are driving AI innovation,” Modi wrote on X. We are committed to maximizing the use of AI for development. ’

After this decision of Anthropic, other top AI companies have also announced to expand their presence in the Indian market. OpenAI plans to open an office in India later this year. According to Sam Altman, the use of ChatGPT in India has quadrupled compared to last year.

In July, AI company Proplaxity had partnered with Indian telecom company Airtel to provide free subscription of Proxity Pro for one year to 360 million customers of Airtel.

With Google’s $15 billion investment, India will not only become a major hub for AI technology, but it is also expected to open a new chapter in the country’s digital infrastructure, jobs and research.