New Delhi: The hillside above Visakhapatnam has been cleared of all its vegetation with only the red earth remaining and has been scaled into steps. It’s here that Google’s heaviest investment in India is unfolding. It’s a scene in the city, very different from the one up here: it’s banners, beach rallies, and an increasing call to play pause.
The pitch
The project is reportedly built by the Adani Group and is touted to be an AI and data centre project valued at $15 billion. Earlier the Andhra Pradesh Cabinet approved it in October 2025. Google labels it a multi-decade commitment, and notes that the company has a “duty to be a good neighbour” in the city, as Asia-Pacific infrastructure and energy head Alexander Smith said.
Water is the company’s primary response to the water question: cooling. At the India hub, Google says it will use “advanced air cooling” that should reduce the water consumption of servers, which consume huge amounts of water.At the India hub, Google says it will implement “advanced air cooling” which should reduce the water consumption usually used by servers. The state, meanwhile, plans six 1.2-gigawatt nuclear power plants to meet the coming surge in energy demand.
The pushback
Residents aren’t convinced. The city of Vizag, with a population of 2.5 million, faces water rationing regularly; one report estimates that it is at least 70 million litres below the drinking water needs of the population each day. The area already suffers from a lack of water, said one 57-year-old resident beside a dry well who told AFP.
Students, activists and neighbours protest by waving posters that state ‘people can’t drink data’ on the streets. One poster features handcuffs for Google’s logo. As groups like Green Visakha are organizing awareness programs through door-to-door visits and beach protests, AFP reports that activists are now asking for a “moratorium” on such projects.
The second front is wildlife. A public interest petition before High Court states that the noise and activity during construction adversely impact the Kambalakonda Wildlife Sanctuary, which is 860 metres away.
The state’s response
The activists’ assertions are “misleading” and “erroneous,” the government says, but it is listening for suggestions. It claims no water meant for rural and domestic purposes will be diverted to the data centres and the nearby reservoir will not be used. It also states that all statutory approvals have been obtained.
Not just Google
The battle is more than an affair involving one company. The city is becoming a tech megahub as a Reliance project, Brookfield and Digital Realty, are investing $11 billion in a new AI Data Centre there. India is offering incentives – ranging from tax relief – to the big techs. Protests also have been heard across the country, including in Thane, where residents oppose an Amazon Web Services development. There were 142 protests against the opposition across 42 states in the US during July.
What’s next?
The number one rule is the courtroom comes first. The issues have already gone to the National Green Tribunal and High Court, and the High Court has invited the state to respond to the water allegations. An order for construction and/or environmental clearances would accelerate the pace of the project rapidly.
Next is the protest calendar. The campaigns will be carried on, and they have a wealth of material as the building work continues to be visibly underway, organisers say.
Proof is the third factor. Opportunity of air cooling, reservoirs, rural supply, promises made by Google and the state. Residents are not going to be satisfied with simply being told when the water facility opens, they will need to be assured of actual water use data, as well.
For Google, it’s not just about this site. With a dry well and a few hand painted banners, an approval paper in hand for a $15-billion project, every AI hub proposed in a water-stressed area will be challenged to survive. Vizag could become the blueprint for India’s future as it strives to harmonize its futuristic AI vision with the water it requires.
