VISAKHAPATNAM: The State government has approved the allotment of 91.38 acres at Kanamam village in Anandapuram mandal of Visakhapatnam district for the development of a logistics and light industrial park to support the warehousing and storage requirements of Google’s proposed India AI Hub in Visakhapatnam.
The land has been allotted to Ecobox Industrial Asset IV Private Limited at Rs 55 lakh per acre. The project envisages an investment of Rs 1,008 crore and is expected to generate around 5,000 jobs.
The government noted that Google had identified Ecobox, through Logicap Holdings, as its preferred development partner for the logistics infrastructure required for the AI Hub.
Subject to the execution of final agreements, Google plans to utilise the industrial park in phases to meet the warehousing, logistics and service requirements of the proposed data centre campus. The order grants Google the first right of refusal to purchase all or part of the site and facilities after they become operational.
If the company does not require facilities planned in subsequent phases, Ecobox may lease or sell the remaining space to third parties in accordance with the approved land use.
The government has also approved the use of about five to seven acres within the project for networking and connectivity infrastructure to support the broader data centre ecosystem.
The proposed logistics and light industrial park will have a total built-up area of 19.45 lakh sq. ft. across 44.65 acres.
It will comprise three warehouse blocks, a light manufacturing unit, a data centre and allied activities block, and an administrative building.
The three warehouse blocks will together provide 14.68 lakh sq. ft. of built-up space, while the project will also include a 2.42 lakh sq. ft. light manufacturing block, a 1.90 lakh sq. ft. facility for data centre and allied activities, and a 45,000 sq. ft. administrative building.
The proposal received clearance from the State Investment Promotion Board (SIPB) following the recommendations of the State Investment Promotion Committee (SIPC).
The government has directed the Visakhapatnam Metropolitan Region Development Authority (VMRDA) to develop a 24-metre-wide master plan road to the site, while Ecobox will bear the proportionate cost if it opts to construct the proposed three-km peripheral road through APIIC. The logistics park forms part of the ecosystem being developed for Google’s proposed $15-billion India AI Hub in Visakhapatnam.
