India is welcoming AI data centres aggressively. What do they owe host communities?
In October 2025, Google announced its first AI hub in India in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh, committing to bring Google’s full AI stack and consumer services to India. The investment of $15 billion USD over five years (2026-2030) is Google’s largest investment in India. The state government gave 600 acres of land and incentives of nearly $2.6 billion USD (INR 22,002 crore), which include 25% discount on the land value, 100% stamp duty exemption, power tariff subsidy for a period of 15 years, e...