Google Faces Backlash Over $15B AI Data Center in India

The construction of the data center has already begun, with excavators clearing forest and farmland on the southeast coast. Many residents fear that this facility, along with other large tech sites in Vizag, will deplete water and power resources. They also worry about its environmental impact and the number of jobs it would create.

Google promises to use ‘advanced’ air cooling technology at its India hub, but activists have called for a halt to new data centers across the state until independent environmental and social impact assessments are made public.

The data center is expected to generate $688 million in local economic activity annually and create some 4,200 construction jobs, but critics argue these economic benefits may not reach everyone equally.