Google's $15 billion artificial intelligence (AI) data centre project in Visakhapatnam will use air-cooling technology instead of water-based cooling, as the company seeks to address concerns over freshwater availability in the region, Alexander Smith, its head of infrastructure and energy for Asia-Pacific, told AFP.
Smith said Google had assessed the local watershed and considered power supply, environmental risks, connectivity and access to talent when selecting the location. He said that his company also plans to invest in additional clean energy projects in Visakhapatnam and fund the cost of required power infrastructure upgrades.
The project, which is under construction, has faced massive protests fro'm residents over water scarcity, land acquisition, environmental impact and the employment benefits expected from the investment. Google has described its project as a multi-decade commitment, which has added to the concerns of locals in the region.
Why Google chose Visakhapatnam
Smith said Google conducts independent environmental assessments 12 to 24 months before a project begins. “These cover grid stability, power supply, water risk, ecology and acoustics,” he told AFP.
Google's assessment of Visakhapatnam identified pressure on the local watershed, which influenced its decision to use air cooling instead of water-based cooling.
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"That finding shaped our choice of cooling configuration from the outset," Smith told AFP.
For freshwater used for non-cooling facility needs, Google has committed to replenishing 120 per cent of the volume consumed across its operations by 2030.
Explaining the location choice, Smith said Google looks (while selecting a location for its projects) at proximity to customers and users, access to talent, opportunities to develop clean energy and partnerships with local communities.
"Visakhapatnam is one of the few places where all of these come together," he said.
The city's coastal location also provides access to submarine internet cables linking India to international markets. Smith said the connections would position Andhra Pradesh as India's third major subsea hub.
The data centre is part of Google's $15 billion investment in India. The facility, described by the company as its largest AI hub outside the United States, is expected to become operational in 2028.
Residents question water use, land acquisition and jobs
Google's plans have not ended local opposition. Residents and activists fear that the data centre, alongside other proposed technology facilities in Visakhapatnam, could increase pressure on water and electricity supplies and damage the surrounding environment.
"We are already struggling with water scarcity," a local resident told AFP.
A farmer in the city, whose two-acre plot of mango and cashew trees was acquired for the project, expressed dissatisfaction with the transaction.
"Some company came and, without showing any respect, they took the land, and we accepted it," they told AFP.
The Andhra Pradesh government said eligible residents who lived on the site were receiving financial compensation and that new housing was being built and handed over to them.
In a report published last month, The Guardian documented allegations by villagers in Tarluvada that land had been taken back by the government without adequate notice and that some promised benefits had not materialised. The state government has disputed claims that land was forcibly taken and said eligible residents received compensation.
Employment is another point of contention. Google estimated that the development will generate approximately $688 million in local economic activity annually. It also projected that a typical data centre development employs about 4,200 construction workers annually over a three-to-five-year construction period and sustains hundreds of specialist on-site jobs once operational.
The Andhra Pradesh government has projected 188,000 direct and indirect jobs from the development.
However, campaigners have questioned whether the investment will create sufficient employment for local communities.
"We need mass employment and labour-intensive industries, not high-capital industries," Gutta Rohith of the Human Rights Forum told AFP.
Activists are also demanding a moratorium on new data centres across Andhra Pradesh until independent environmental and social impact assessments are published.
The Guardian reported that three petitions challenging the project's environmental clearances had been filed before the National Green Tribunal. The petitions allege that the assessments of environmental and water-related risks were “inadequate”.
Another major Google data centre project faces test
Alongside the tech giant’s huge project in India, it’s major project in Finland has also came under scrutiny. Finland's Supervisory Agency has ordered a halt to preparatory measures at two planned Google data centre sites in Muhos and Kajaani until mandatory environmental impact assessments are completed.
The order, reported by Euronews last week, followed an investigation into whether forest clearance and other preparatory activities had taken place without the required assessments.
The regulator cited tree removal, topsoil stripping, construction of site roads and storage areas, and alterations to ditches. It directed Tuike Finland, the company representing Google, to suspend preparatory measures that would significantly alter the environment.
A Google spokesperson said the tech giant would examine the regulator's findings and follow its guidance. The company also cited environmental surveys and plans to plant trees across 130 hectares in Muhos.
Finland's environment and climate minister, Sari Multala, said the projects would likely face delays because of the environmental assessment issues.