VISAKHAPATNAM: Amid growing concerns over the water and power requirements of the proposed data centres in Visakhapatnam, Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu has maintained that water availability will not be a constraint, citing the State’s capacity to draw water from the Polavaram Irrigation Project, and adopt alternative technologies.
Speaking on the sidelines of the second day of the 31st CII Partnership Summit in Visakhapatnam on Friday, the Chief Minister said the proposed data centres would require around 3.5 TMC of water, while the State has the potential to bring up to 100 TMC to Visakhapatnam annually through the Polavaram project.
He also pointed out that considerable quantity of river water currently flows into the sea, and could be put to productive use.
Referring to concerns over the high water consumption associated with data centre operations, the Chief Minister cited desalination and emerging air-cooling technologies as possible alternatives to reduce dependence on conventional water resources.
Naidu maintained that the State had sufficient resources and technological options to meet the requirements of the proposed data centres in Visakhapatnam.
The Chief Minister also highlighted the wider economic opportunities expected from the data centre investments, stating that their benefits would extend beyond direct employment.
He stated that the projects could support the development of an ecosystem around artificial intelligence, the knowledge economy and data-driven decision-making.
The State government has been positioning Visakhapatnam as a major destination for data centre investments, with several large-scale proposals in the pipeline.
The long-term resource requirements and the proposed arrangements for sustainable operations, however, remain important aspects of the development plans.