Reliance names $17 billion AI data center

Reliance Industries has moved from reported plans to a state-cleared project in Andhra Pradesh, with the state cabinet approving land allotment for a giga-scale AI data-center development near Visakhapatnam on May 14. Andhra Pradesh approved 855 acres for the project in villages around Bhogapuram, according to The Hindu BusinessLine and other local reports, after earlier reporting in late April said Reliance planned to invest about ₹1.6 lakh crore, or more than $17 billion, in a 1.5-gigawatt cluster. (thehindubusinessline.com) The project places Reliance alongside Google in a fast-forming data-center corridor on India’s east coast. Google’s own India AI hub in Visakhapatnam broke ground on April 28, with Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu and Union IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw attending the ceremony, according to The Hindu and CNBC-TV18. (thehindu.com) The timing also overlaps with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s May 15 visit to Abu Dhabi, where India and the United Arab Emirates signed defence and energy agreements and the UAE pledged $5 billion of investments in India, according to Reuters and other reports. ### Where exactly is Reliance building, and what has Andhra Pradesh approved? (thehindubusinessline.com) Andhra Pradesh’s cabinet approved 855 acres for Reliance Industries in Polipally, Bhogapuram East and Bhogapuram West in Visakhapatnam district, The Hindu BusinessLine reported on May 14. The land sits near the planned cable landing station and the upcoming international airport at Bhogapuram, the report said. (thehindu.com) The Economic Times reported on April 28 that Reliance planned a 1.5-gigawatt data-center cluster with a captive solar and battery-storage system at a cost of more than ₹1.6 lakh crore. Mint, citing that report, said the investment had been approved by Andhra Pradesh’s Investment Promotion Committee at a meeting on April 25. (msn.com) ### How large is this project compared with Google’s Visakhapatnam build? Reliance’s planned 1.5-gigawatt capacity would exceed Google’s 1-gigawatt project in the same region, based on figures reported by The Economic Times and confirmed in coverage of Google’s April 28 groundbreaking. Google’s project has been widely described as a $15 billion investment and one of the largest AI data-center developments in India. (thehindubusinessline.com) The Hindu reported that Naidu laid the foundation stone for Google’s data center at Tarluvada on April 28. CNBC-TV18 reported that the Google Cloud India AI hub would span more than 600 acres and target 1 gigawatt of capacity. (economictimes.indiatimes.com) ### Did Google just “consider” an office, or has it already committed more than that? Google has gone beyond considering a regional office. Google publicly announced an AI hub in Visakhapatnam in October 2025, saying it would invest about $15 billion over five years, and later held a foundation-stone ceremony in April 2026 with Andhra Pradesh officials. (economictimes.indiatimes.com) The New Indian Express and other Indian outlets described the April 28 event as the formal start of the Google AI data-center project. That makes the current story less about a possible Google presence and more about Reliance joining an already active buildout in the same corridor. (thehindu.com) ### What does the Modi-UAE announcement have to do with Andhra Pradesh? Narendra Modi’s Abu Dhabi visit on May 15 produced a separate set of agreements on defence, energy, shipping and investment, according to Reuters. Reuters reported that India and the UAE agreed a framework for a strategic defence partnership, while other coverage said Abu Dhabi pledged $5 billion in investments in India. Those UAE commitments were national-level agreements, not part of the Reliance or Google projects in Andhra Pradesh, based on the available reporting. (googlecloudpresscorner.com) The Andhra Pradesh data-center announcements and the Modi-UAE deals happened in the same week, but the sources reviewed do not say the $5 billion UAE pledge is earmarked for the Visakhapatnam projects. (newindianexpress.com) ### What comes next for the Andhra Pradesh buildout? Reliance’s next visible step is likely to be site development and phased construction around Bhogapuram after the cabinet’s land approval on May 14. Earlier reports said the first phase could center on a 500-megawatt facility, with later phases taking total capacity to 1.5 gigawatts. (msn.com) Google’s next milestones will come from construction progress at Tarluvada after the April 28 groundbreaking attended by Naidu and Vaishnaw. Andhra Pradesh’s government has tied both projects to a wider push to assemble multi-gigawatt data-center capacity around Visakhapatnam, with further state clearances and company filings likely to provide the next concrete updates. (thehindu.com) (outlookbusiness.com) (thehindubusinessline.com)