Andhra Pradesh chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu leaves today on a high-stakes trip to the national capital, combining crucial political consultations with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and securing one of the nation's largest Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) commitments: a $10 billion Google Data Center project at Visakhapatnam.
The Chief Minister's two-day itinerary is seen by political observers as a powerful affirmation of the re-established rapport between the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) under the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) banner.
Chief Minister Naidu is scheduled to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi at 4:45 PM today, a discussion that holds significant political weight ahead of the upcoming legislative and parliamentary sessions.
While the primary agenda includes the formal invitation to the Prime Minister for the state's 'Super GST - Super Savings' program in Kurnool and the CII Partnership Summit in Visakhapatnam (November 14-15), the political context is paramount.
The meeting comes after the TDP rejoined the NDA, ending a period of six years when the two parties were estranged over the issue of Special Category Status for Andhra Pradesh.
The high-level consultation is expected to focus on ensuring smooth coordination between the state and central governments, crucial for fast-tracking development projects and attracting large-scale investments like the Google deal.
Sources indicate that Naidu will likely seek continued Central support, including crucial policy tweaks and tax incentives, which were essential in landing the Google project.
The highlight of the Delhi visit is the signing ceremony tomorrow, October 14, at 10:00 AM at Hotel Taj Mansingh, where the Andhra Pradesh government will ink the agreement with Google for a 1 Gigawatt hyperscale data centre campus in Visakhapatnam (Vizag).
The presence of senior Union Cabinet ministers, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and Information and Broadcasting Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, showcases the project's significance as a joint State-Centre effort aligned with the 'Digital India' and 'IndiaAI Mission' vision.
The $10 billion (around Rs 87,520 crore) investment, described by state officials as the "highest-ever foreign direct investment in the country's digital infrastructure", serves as a major political victory for the newly elected Naidu government. It bolsters the TDP's narrative of governance focused on high-value, technology-led investment, aiming to deliver on its promise of large-scale job creation. It is projected to support 1,88,220 jobs per year.
The project anchors the state's ambitious vision to position Visakhapatnam as 'AI City Vizag,' India's first AI Hub. By deploying Google's full AI stack and linking the facility to global networks via resilient subsea cables, the state is positioning itself as a core player in India's digital future, directly challenging the dominance of traditional tech hubs like Hyderabad and Bengaluru.
Andhra Pradesh minister for Information Technology, Electronics and Communications, Nara Lokesh, said the project "is a transformative project for the future of Andhra Pradesh".
The project is a visible payoff of recent policy manoeuvers, including chief minister Naidu's successful efforts to lobby the Union government for changes to the National Data Centre Policy, offering tax exemptions and other crucial incentives to attract global tech giants.
