Information Technology & Human Resources Development Minister Nara Lokesh. File
| Photo Credit: The Hindu

Andhra Pradesh’s IT and Electronics Minister Nara Lokesh has pitched the port city of Vizag in his state for setting up a data centre to Google Cloud CEO, saying the new government in the State has taken various initiatives for supporting industry that will help it transform into a cloud infrastructure hub.

The State is focused on setting up data centres in Visakhapatnam and the Minister invited Google Cloud to establish its data centre in the port city.

As part of his mission to attract investments during his ongoing visit to the United States, Mr. Lokesh visited the Google campus in San Francisco, where he met Google Cloud Chief Executive Thomas Kurian, its global networking vice president Bikas Koley, vice president of its business applications Rao Surapuneni, and vice president of Google Maps Chandu Thota.

The Minister asked all these top echelons of Google to consider setting up a data centre in Visakhapatnam under Public-Private Partnership (PPP) mode.

Under the visionary leadership of the Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu, the State Government is implementing artificial intelligence (AI)-based e-governance and is implementing programs like Smart City.

“Also, Andhra Pradesh is the right place for investments,” he told Google top bosses and asked them to consider providing services like AI tools and enterprise solutions to help digitalise government services for better public services.

Mr. Lokesh also sought the cooperation of Google with the State Government in real-time management, disaster response and urban planning, besides interlinking the smart cities with Google Maps, which are part of geospatial services.

He also wanted Google to hold AI-based training classes to the youth on digital education and for their skill development.

Responding to Mr. Lokesh’s proposals, the Google top executives said they will soon take a decision after holding discussions with their colleagues.

They said that their organisation got global recognition in online services like cloud-computing and digital advertising.

IT & Electronics and Education Minister Nara Lokesh interacts with former chairman & CEO of PepsiCo Indra Nooyi on the sidelines of the IT Serve Alliance Annual Conference at Las Vegas, U.S. on October 30, 2024. Photo: X/@naralokesh

IT & Electronics and Education Minister Nara Lokesh requested Amazon Web Services (AWS) MD Rachel Skaff to establish a data centre in Andhra Pradesh (A.P.) during an interaction with her on the sidelines of the IT Serve Alliance Annual Conference at Las Vegas on Wednesday (October 30, 2024).

Mr. Lokesh is on a week-long visit to the U.S. since October 25 to attract investments.

Ms. Skaff stated that Amazon was focusing on cloud infrastructure, enterprise solutions, and digital transformation and it was playing a major role in expanding cloud services and solutions globally, with emphasis on innovations in Artificial Intelligence (AI), Machine Learning and cloud infrastructure.

She said she would consider providing cloud services in the State. 

Mr. Lokesh mentioned that AWS would be helpful to A.P. in reaching its digital transformation goals and in implementing smart governance. The State has robust infrastructure and green energy projects that would  provide renewable energy for sustainable cloud operations, he added. 

E-governance and AI-driven solutions

Later, Mr. Lokesh had a meeting with Salesforce AI CEO Clara Shih. He requested her to provide AI tools and mentorship to technology startups in A.P. and to offer skill training to youth for AI-based industries. 

Mr. Lokesh also urged her to collaborate with educational institutions to offer AI certification programmes and hands-on training, and to introduce Salesforce’s Einstein AI in A.P. for improving Customer Relationship Management (CRM).

Further, he sought Salesforce’s support for implementing e-governance and AI-driven solutions in the State for improving service delivery mechanisms and public engagement through predictive analytics and automated processes. 

Ms. Shih said she would discuss the proposals made by Mr. Lokesh with her team, while expressing the company’s commitment to ‘responsible AI use in government projects’.

Invites Indra Nooyi to visit A.P.

Mr. Lokesh went on to meet PepsiCo former CEO Indra Nooyi. He sought her support for A.P. Government’s initiatives to attract foreign investments in technology and manufacturing. 

He invited Ms. Nooyi to visit A.P. to witness the State’s technological ecosystem, infrastructure, and potential for industrial development.