Last Updated on April 28, 2026 11:11 pm by BIZNAMA NEWS
By AMN / Visakhapatnam
In a significant boost to India’s digital and technology ambitions, Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu on Tuesday laid the foundation stone for the Google Cloud India AI Hub in Visakhapatnam, positioning the coastal city as a key node in the country’s emerging artificial intelligence ecosystem.
Addressing the gathering, Vaishnaw said India is entering a new phase of large-scale expansion in electronics manufacturing, semiconductor production, advanced chip design, and AI-driven technologies. He underlined that under the Make in India vision of Narendra Modi, the country is rapidly establishing itself as a reliable global hub for electronics manufacturing and supply chains.
Reflecting on past gaps, the minister acknowledged that India had earlier missed opportunities in electronics and semiconductor manufacturing. However, he noted that a combination of policy reforms and sustained political backing has transformed the sector in recent years. He highlighted that smartphones have now emerged as India’s largest export category, signalling the country’s growing competitiveness in global electronics markets.
Vaishnaw emphasized that India today has the capability to manufacture everything from components and sub-assemblies to finished electronic products, servers, and advanced equipment at competitive costs. He urged global technology firms, including Google, to expand local manufacturing of servers, GPU systems, and memory chips to support India’s fast-growing data centre ecosystem.
On semiconductors, the minister said commercial production has already commenced at two facilities under the India Semiconductor Mission, marking a crucial milestone in reducing import dependence and strengthening domestic chip capabilities. He also called for collaborative research to enhance power efficiency and reduce water consumption in future infrastructure projects under the India AI Mission.
Describing Visakhapatnam as a rising technology hub, Vaishnaw said the city is poised to become a leading destination for AI innovation, even referring to it as “AI Patnam.” The upcoming AI Hub is expected to drive advancements across sectors such as education, healthcare, aerospace, logistics, and agriculture, while also enhancing India’s digital connectivity with regions including Europe, Africa, Australia, the Middle East, and the United States.
The event was attended by Union Minister K. Ram Mohan Naidu, Ministers of State Pemmasani Chandra Sekhar and B. Srinivasa Varma, along with representatives from Adani Group, Bharti Airtel, industry leaders, and public representatives.
The initiative underscores India’s broader strategy to integrate AI, semiconductor manufacturing, and digital infrastructure into a unified growth engine, aimed at strengthening its position in the global technology value chain.