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Google Faces Intense Backlash Over Massive AI Data Centre Project in India
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Firstpost•12-10-2026, 07:23
Google Faces Intense Backlash Over Massive AI Data Centre Project in India
- •Google is constructing its largest data centre outside the United States in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh, as part of a 15 billion dollar project.
- •Local residents and activists are protesting the mega-facility, fearing severe strain on water and power resources as well as environmental damage.
- •Displaced farmers and community members have expressed frustration over losing fertile land and mango and cashew groves.
- •Activists are demanding a moratorium on new data centres until independent environmental and social impact evaluations are published.
- •While Google and the Andhra Pradesh government promise significant economic growth and thousands of jobs, critics argue the high-capital facility will not provide sufficient mass employment.
Key Questions Answered
Google is building a $15 billion AI mega-facility spanning a 600-acre site in Visakhapatnam, also known as Vizag, located in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh.
Local residents and activists fear that the massive data centre will severely strain local water and power resources in a region already facing water stress, damage the local environment, and fail to generate sufficient jobs for the community.
Google has stated it will use advanced air-cooling technology to minimize water use, while the Andhra Pradesh government plans to construct six 1.2-gigawatt nuclear power plants to meet soaring energy demands and sources required water from the Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Department.
