Google team inspects Adavivaram site for AI data centre

Visakhapatnam: Representatives of IT giant Google visited the Adavivaram area near the Simhachalam temple to assess ground conditions at the proposed project site. Sources said the company is likely to set up offices and an AI data centre at Adavivaram.

It may be recalled that the state govt has allotted 601 acres for the Google data centre project, including 160 acres of Simhachalam temple land at Adavivaram, to be acquired through the Andhra Pradesh Industrial Infrastructure Corporation (APIIC). The corporation will lease the temple land from authorities and hand it over to Google.

The foundation stone for the data centre was laid on April 28 by chief minister Chandrababu Naidu on a 266.60-acre parcel at Tharluwada village in Anandapuram mandal. Google has already secured environmental clearances and begun work on basic infrastructure.

In addition, the government has allotted 160 acres at Adavivaram–Mudasarlova in Visakhapatnam city and 174.80 acres in Rambilli, Anakapalli district, for setting up hyperscale AI data centres at three locations.

Under the agreement, the Simhachalam temple is expected to receive ₹26 crore annually, with a 5% increase in lease payments every five years. APIIC officials said the land handover process will be completed soon.

A temporary road is being laid to facilitate construction, and ground-leveling work has already begun. Google representatives have visited all three proposed sites to review development progress.