India Plans Massive ‘Data City’ in Visakhapatnam to Power AI Push
印度計劃在維沙卡帕特南興建大型“數據城”，以推動人工智慧發展
India is planning a vast new “data city” in the coastal hub of Visakhapatnam as part of its drive to narrow the artificial intelligence gap with the United States and China, according to Andhra Pradesh IT Minister Nara Lokesh. The southeastern port city, known as Vizag, is being positioned as a landing point for submarine internet cables linking India to Singapore and as the centre of a 100-kilometre technology ecosystem. Lokesh said the state has secured investment agreements worth $175 billion across 760 projects, including a $15 billion commitment from Google for its largest AI infrastructure hub outside the United States, and an $11 billion joint venture involving Reliance Industries, Brookfield and Digital Realty to build a major AI data centre. He added that Andhra Pradesh would offer land at symbolic prices to attract firms making servers, cooling systems and other core hardware, while tapping surplus monsoon water and expanding power capacity to support energy-hungry facilities.
The project comes as India ranks third globally in AI capability, driven by strong patent activity and private funding, and as Microsoft announced a $17.5 billion investment in the country’s AI infrastructure. While critics argue India still lacks sufficient high-end computing power and risks becoming more of an AI consumer than a creator, Lokesh said embracing the technology would generate long-term jobs and growth, pointing to China’s rapid industrial transformation as a model. For non-Indian companies, the plan signals a bid to turn Visakhapatnam into a strategic Asian data and AI hub with cheap land, expanding connectivity and government backing, potentially offering foreign firms a lower-cost base to serve India’s billion-plus internet users and the wider Indo-Pacific digital market.
https://www.barrons.com/news/india-plans-ai-data-city-on-staggering-scale-cc18d323
編按：印度計劃在維沙卡帕特南打造一座規模龐大的“數據城”，該案已獲得1750億美元的投資承諾，包括谷歌投資150億美元的人工智能中心和信實集團(Reliance Industries)投資110億美元的數據中心項目。該計畫定位為海底光纜登陸點和人工智慧基礎設施樞紐，旨在以低廉的土地成本和不斷擴展的網路連接吸引全球企業。然而，批評人士警告，印度此舉有可能使其淪為人工智慧的消費者而非創造者。
PVV Infra Signs Taiwan Pact to Build Integrated Clean Energy Manufacturing Hub in Andhra Pradesh
PVV Infra與台灣簽署協議，將在安得拉邦興建綜合清潔能源製造中心
PVV Infra Limited has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with ITC Services Company Limited for consultancy, customisation and technology transfer covering solar cell manufacturing, Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS), micro-inverters and smart power electronics. The partnership provides for joint development, trial production, training, process stabilisation and transfer of manufacturing documentation under a phased plan targeted for completion in 14–18 months. PVV Infra said the collaboration supports its plan to establish an Integrated Clean Energy Manufacturing Complex with capacities of 1.2 GW in solar cells using TOPCon technology, 1 GW in solar module assembly, along with BESS and micro-inverter manufacturing facilities.
The company had earlier signed an MoU with the Government of Andhra Pradesh in November 2025 for a renewable energy manufacturing project estimated at about ₹650 crore, but following the Taiwan technology tie-up and expansion into integrated manufacturing, the proposed investment is now expected to rise to around ₹1,250 crore, subject to phased implementation and financing closure. Projects above ₹1,000 crore qualify as Mega Projects in the state and are eligible for subsidies, the company said, adding that the expansion would boost domestic value addition, cut import dependence for critical components, and generate large-scale employment while creating a regional clean-energy ecosystem. The board also approved the appointment of Tse Hsiung Norman Lao as Additional Director (Non-Independent) from February 9, 2026. For non-Indian companies, the project highlights growing opportunities to partner in India’s renewable manufacturing push through technology transfer, component supply and joint ventures, as the country scales up local production of solar and energy-storage hardware for both domestic and export markets.
編按：PVV Infra已與台灣ITC Services合作，在安得拉邦興建綜合性清潔能源製造中心，涵蓋太陽能電池、模組、儲能電池和智慧電力電子產品，可望在14至18個月內分階段完工投產。本案規模擴大，目前價值約125億盧比，屬於大型專案，預計將提升國內增值，降低進口依賴，並在區域清潔能源生態系統中創造大量就業機會。
India Approves ₹1.6 Trillion Investment Push for Infrastructure, Cities and Startups
印度批准1.6兆盧比投資計劃，用於基礎設施、城市建設和新創企業
India’s Union Cabinet has approved projects worth about ₹1.6 trillion (around $18 billion) to strengthen infrastructure, urban development and the startup ecosystem, Information Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said on Saturday. The investment will focus on improving transport connectivity, logistics networks and urban facilities while supporting innovation-driven enterprises, forming part of the government’s broader strategy to boost economic growth and employment. Officials said the funding will prioritise long-term capacity building across sectors seen as critical to domestic demand and industrial productivity.
The projects are expected to be implemented in phases with coordination between central and state governments, and will channel resources into city services, technology-led ventures and infrastructure expansion. Analysts said the scale of the programme underlines India’s reliance on public investment to sustain momentum in manufacturing and services. For non-Indian companies, the decision signals fresh opportunities in construction, logistics, smart-city systems and technology partnerships, as global firms can participate through contracts, joint ventures and supply chains linked to India’s expanding infrastructure and urban modernisation drive.
編按：印度批准總額達1.6兆盧比的公共投資案，旨在促進基礎建設、城市發展和新創企業生態系統，聚焦於交通運輸、物流和創新驅動型企業。這項分階段實施的計畫凸顯了印度為維持經濟成長對公共投資的依賴，同時也為全球企業在營建、智慧城市系統和技術合作領域創造了機會。
India in Talks to Link UPI With Ant’s Alipay+ for Cross-Border Payments
印度正洽談將UPI與螞蟻集團的支付寶+對接，以實現跨境支付
India is in discussions with China-related Ant International to allow integration of its digital payments platform Alipay+ with the country’s instant payments system, the Unified Payments Interface (UPI), according to a report by Reuters citing two government sources. The proposed link would enable Indian users to make payments at overseas merchants signed up with Alipay+, simplifying foreign spending and reducing cross-border transaction costs. Ant International, headquartered in Singapore and founded by China’s Ant Group, now operates independently.
Talks between officials in New Delhi and regulators with the firm are seen as signalling a cautious thaw in economic engagement with Beijing. Alipay+ currently connects around 1.8 billion user accounts with more than 150 million merchants across over 100 markets in Asia, Europe, the Middle East and Latin America, while UPI processes nearly 18 billion transactions a month in India. For non-Indian companies, the potential linkage highlights new opportunities to reach Indian consumers through global merchant networks and underscores India’s growing role in shaping cross-border digital payment standards, opening scope for partnerships in fintech infrastructure, travel payments and international commerce.
編按：印度正洽談將其統一支付介面（UPI）與螞蟻國際旗下的支付寶+對接，這將使印度用戶能夠在海外商家進行支付，並降低跨境交易成本。此潛在的整合標示著印中經濟關係謹慎解凍，並凸顯了全球企業在金融科技、旅遊支付和國際商務領域的新機會。
Blackstone Backs Indian AI Infrastructure Startup Neysa With Up to $600 Million
黑石集團向印度人工智慧基礎設施新創公司Neysa注資達6億美元
Neysa has secured backing from U.S. private equity firm Blackstone as it scales domestic computing capacity amid India’s push to build homegrown artificial intelligence capabilities. Blackstone and co-investors including Teachers’ Venture Growth, TVS Capital, 360 ONE Asset and Nexus Venture Partners have agreed to invest up to $600 million in primary equity, giving Blackstone a majority stake, the companies told TechCrunch. The Mumbai-based startup also plans to raise a further $600 million in debt to expand its GPU capacity, a sharp jump from the $50 million it had previously raised, as global demand surges for specialized chips and data centres needed to train and run large AI models.
Neysa positions itself as a “neo-cloud” provider offering customised, GPU-first infrastructure for enterprises, government agencies and AI developers in India, where local compute demand is still nascent but growing rapidly. Co-founder and chief executive Sharad Sanghi said the company focuses on high-touch support and faster deployment than hyperscale cloud providers, while Blackstone estimates India’s installed GPU base could rise nearly 30-fold in coming years. Neysa currently operates about 1,200 GPUs and aims to scale to more than 20,000 over time, using most of the new capital for large GPU clusters and related networking and storage. For non-Indian companies, the deal highlights rising opportunities to partner with or supply India-based AI infrastructure providers as global firms seek lower-latency deployment, data localisation and access to one of the world’s fastest-growing AI user markets.
編按：印度人工智慧基礎設施新創公司Neysa已從黑石集團及其聯合投資者獲得高達6億美元的股權融資，黑石集團因此獲得多數股權。該公司正利用這筆資金擴大GPU容量，以滿足不斷成長的需求。 Neysa計劃再融資6億美元，將其GPU數量從1200個擴展到2萬多個，從而將自身定位為印度快速成長市場中，向企業、政府機構和人工智慧開發業著提供「新雲端」服務的供應商。
India’s Solar Manufacturing Sees Module Glut as Upstream Gaps Persist: Elara Securities
埃拉拉證券：印度太陽能製造業模組供過於求，上游缺口持續存在
India’s solar manufacturing capacity has expanded rapidly, but growth across the supply chain remains uneven, according to a report by Elara Securities cited by ANI. Operational solar module capacity has reached about 144 GW and is projected to rise to nearly 180 GW by FY30, based on data from the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy. In contrast, domestic solar cell manufacturing capacity stands at around 23.4 GW, highlighting a widening gap between downstream module assembly and upstream segments such as cells, wafers, ingots and polysilicon. The report said this imbalance shows final assembly has advanced faster than core manufacturing, creating structural weaknesses in domestic production.
Annual solar installations in India are estimated at 45–50 GW, while module output is expected to reach 60–65 GW, indicating near-term oversupply in the module segment. Export opportunities have been constrained by U.S. tariffs, pushing excess modules into the domestic market and increasing pressure on smaller and standalone manufacturers, which could lead to consolidation. The report said upcoming policy measures — including the inclusion of solar cells under ALMM List-II from June 2026 and domestic sourcing requirements — could lift demand for locally made cells, benefiting firms that scale upstream capacity early. For non-Indian companies, the findings signal potential opportunities in supplying upstream technologies and materials, partnering in integrated manufacturing, and investing in higher-value segments of India’s solar supply chain as policy support shifts demand away from pure module assembly toward deeper localisation.
編按：印度的太陽能模組產能已飆升至約144吉瓦，預計到2030財政年度將達到180吉瓦，但電池、晶片和多晶矽等上游環節的產能仍遠落後於此，僅為23.4吉瓦，造成了結構性失衡。由於模組產量超過裝機量，且美國關稅限制了出口，供應過剩的壓力可能會推動行業整合，而即將推出的政策可能會提振對本地製造電池的需求，並促進對上游的