M.B. Patil Blames Centre’s Incentives to Andhra Pradesh for Google AI Data Centre Decision

M.B. Patil Blames Centre’s Incentives to Andhra Pradesh for Google AI Data Centre Decision
M. B. Patil, Karnataka’s Minister for Large and Medium Industries, has blamed the Government of India’s incentive support to neighbouring Andhra Pradesh for why Google chose to set up its flagship AI‑data centre in Visakhapatnam. He argued that the decision reflects more the scale of concessions than merit‑based location selection. The project in Andhra — valued at around US $15 billion — promises to build a gigawatt‑scale artificial‑intelligence hub, but the competing Karnataka government claims it lost out despite its strong talent pool. Critics say Andhra’s offer of cheap land, subsidised utilities, and full GST reimbursement tipped the scales. The row highlights the competitive dynamics among Indian states vying for mega tech investments — and raises questions over how incentives influence location decisions in the emerging AI‑infrastructure race.