Google says India AI data centre will use air cooling

Google says its planned $15 billion AI data centre in Visakhapatnam, India, will use advanced air cooling rather than water cooling, as residents and activists warn the project could strain local water, power and land resources.

The facility in Andhra Pradesh state is planned as Google's biggest AI hub outside the United States and is set to become operational in 2028. It is one of several large data centre projects planned in the port city, also known as Vizag.

Alexander Smith, Google's head of infrastructure and energy for Asia-Pacific, said the company takes public concerns seriously and conducts independent environmental assessments 12 to 24 months before a project begins. He said Google would either develop more power or not build in a location if a data centre would take power away from a community.

Smith said Google's water assessment for Visakhapatnam found pressure on the local watershed. He said that finding shaped the decision to use advanced air cooling. For freshwater used for non-cooling needs, he said Google is committed to replenishing 120 percent of the volume it consumes across its operations by 2030.

Google does not disclose site-level power capacity figures. Smith said the company fully funds required power infrastructure upgrades and plans new clean energy projects in Visakhapatnam beyond what regulations require.

Opponents say large data centres can add demand to electricity grids still reliant on fossil fuels and put pressure on local water supplies. Activists are demanding a moratorium on new data centres across Andhra Pradesh until more evidence is available on their environmental and community impact.

Some residents have also questioned whether the project will bring enough local benefit. Google says the development is projected to generate about $688 million in local economic activity every year. Smith said an average Google data centre development employs about 4,200 construction workers annually over a typical three-to-five-year construction period and sustains hundreds of specialist on-site roles once live.

The Andhra Pradesh government has said new housing is being built for people who had lived on the site and that residential water needs will be prioritised over data centres. It has also said it expects 188,000 direct and indirect jobs to be generated.

Google says Visakhapatnam was chosen for reasons including customer access, talent, potential for new clean energy and local partnerships. Smith said the city's coastline can support undersea cable links to South Africa and Australia, positioning Andhra Pradesh as India's third major subsea hub.