₹1,500-crore Sify project to make Andhra Pradesh a digital gateway to Southeast Asia
Visakhapatnam: Andhra Pradesh IT, Electronics and Human Resources Minister Nara Lokesh on Sunday laid the foundation stone for the State’s first 50-megawatt AI-powered Edge Data Centre and Open Cable Landing Station, to be developed by Sify Infinit Spaces Ltd, a subsidiary of Sify Technologies, at Beach Road, Visakhapatnam.
The ₹1,500-crore project, spread over 3.6 acres of government-allotted land, is being built in two phases and is expected to create more than 1,000 direct and indirect jobs. The facility will integrate an AI-ready data centre with an open cable landing station – the first of its kind on India’s east coast – enabling faster data exchange with Southeast Asian countries such as Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, and Australia.
“This project marks the beginning of Andhra Pradesh’s transformation into a global digital gateway,” Mr. Lokesh said after unveiling the foundation plaque. “With AI-powered data infrastructure, Vizag will not just serve the State’s digital needs but also become a strategic node in the international data network. Our focus is to make Andhra Pradesh the most connected, technology-driven State in the country.”
He added that the government’s new IT Policy 2024-29 aims to attract ₹50,000 crore in technology investments and create 2 lakh jobs, with Visakhapatnam being developed as the “technology capital of South India.”
Sify Technologies CEO Raju Vegesna said the upcoming AI-edge facility would bring low-latency computing power closer to end users and strengthen the digital ecosystem across eastern India. “With the landing of sub-sea cables here, data will travel faster and cheaper. This is not just a project for Sify, but a milestone for India’s east-coast connectivity,” he said.
Officials said the first phase of the project will be completed by mid-2026, housing state-of-the-art cooling systems, renewable-energy integration, and Tier-III data-security standards.
The event was attended by senior officials from the IT Department, representatives of Sify Technologies, and local industry leaders.
Mr. Lokesh later interacted with students and startup founders, assuring them that an AI Innovation Hub would be established in Vizag next year to support research and data-driven entrepreneurship.
