AP eyes AirTrunk investment for Vizag’s AI hub plan

Vijayawada: Setting an ambitious target of developing 6 GW of data centre capacity in Visakhapatnam, IT & HRD minister Nara Lokesh has invited global hyperscale major AirTrunk to set up operations in Andhra Pradesh.Lokesh met AirTrunk CEO Robin Khuda in Mumbai on Monday, with talks focusing on attracting large-scale AI and hyperscale data centre investments to the state, particularly Vizag.Highlighting the govt’s vision, Lokesh said Visakhapatnam is emerging as a premier AI and data infrastructure hub, backed by major projects including the proposed Google AI hub, Reliance AI data centre and AdaniConneX facilities. He said the city offers the key ingredients for hyperscale growth, with rising investor interest and a focus on building a comprehensive ecosystem spanning multi-gigawatt AI infrastructure, advanced digital connectivity and supporting industries.The minister said Vizag has strong connectivity and infrastructure advantages over competing locations and noted that renewable energy projects are being planned to meet the high power needs of hyperscale data centres. He urged AirTrunk to consider Andhra Pradesh for its next phase of investments.Khuda outlined AirTrunk’s India strategy, including integration of Lumina CloudInfra following its acquisition, expansion plans and growing demand from global hyperscalers. He said the company’s leadership would examine the Andhra Pradesh govt’s proposals.Lokesh and Khuda had first met during the minister’s Australia visit in October last year, after which AirTrunk has held multiple rounds of talks with state officials. In April 2026, AirTrunk entered India by acquiring Lumina CloudInfra, which has projects in Mumbai, Chennai and Hyderabad, with a pipeline of around 600 MW.Later, Lokesh met Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, discussed investment opportunities, governance reforms and explored collaboration in IT, education and skill development.