Reliance Industries is set to invest approximately $17.2 billion to build what is expected to become India’s largest AI-focused data centre cluster in Visakhapatnam.
The proposed project will have a 1.5 gigawatt capacity, surpassing the 1 GW Google data centre campus currently being developed in the same region, according to a report by ET. The cluster will also include a captive solar power and battery storage system, underlining the growing convergence of AI infrastructure and renewable energy.
The report noted that the investment proposal was cleared by the Andhra Pradesh State Investment Promotion Board last week. Reliance is reportedly planning to set up the campus in multiple phases, with the first 500 MW phase expected to go live by October 2028. The second major phase, taking the project closer to full planned capacity, is expected to be completed by 2030.
The data centre cluster is likely to come up near Bhogapuram, close to Visakhapatnam’s upcoming airport, reinforcing the city’s rapid emergence as one of India’s most important AI and cloud infrastructure hubs.
Reliance has reportedly sought approximately 935 acres of land for the facility, along with additional space for a cable landing station and a desalination plant, highlighting the sheer scale of the project.
The investment comes at a time when Visakhapatnam is witnessing an unprecedented data centre boom. On the same day, Google formally launched its own $15 billion AI data centre project in the region, further strengthening Andhra Pradesh’s ambitions to become a leading digital infrastructure state.
Several other major players, including Sify Technologies, Digital Connexion, RMZ Corp, and Anant Raj Limited, have also announced data centre projects in the city, collectively pushing the state closer to its 6 GW hosting capacity target.
Around $11.6 billion will go into the data centre cluster itself, while approximately $5.5 billion has been earmarked for the associated renewable energy infrastructure, including a 9,000 MW-peak solar project.
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