Andhra Pradesh Minister for Education, IT and Electronics, Nara Lokesh, is on a high-impact tour of the United States. His meetings with global technology leaders in San Francisco and Santa Clara have opened the door to new partnerships and stronger investment pipelines in the state’s digital and industrial transformation.
During the trip, Lokesh met senior leadership from Google, Adobe, NVIDIA, Intel and OpenAI. Andhra Pradesh is ready to become a hub for advanced technology, artificial intelligence, semiconductor manufacturing and next-generation digital talent. The state already hosts India’s largest AI hub coming up in Visakhapatnam. Lokesh used this momentum to position AP as the most agile and investment-ready destination in the country.
A high-level meeting with Sundar Pichai
Lokesh met Google CEO Sundar Pichai, along with Google Cloud CEO Thomas Kurian and Global Networking and Infrastructure Vice-President Bikash Koley. He reviewed the progress on the massive fifteen-billion-dollar AI Data Center in Visakhapatnam. This is set to become one of the largest foreign direct investment projects outside the United States.
He urged Google to support a wider ecosystem around the data center, including server manufacturing and advanced hardware assembly. He also requested Google to set up a drone assembly, calibration and testing facility in the upcoming Drone City. Pichai said that Google is expanding cloud regions across India and continues to support Indian startups, which strengthens AP’s future digital potential.
Lokesh invites Adobe to build a development base in Vizag
In his meeting with Adobe CEO Shantanu Narayen, Lokesh proposed the creation of a Global Capability Center or a Development Center in Visakhapatnam. He highlighted the state’s strong foothold in health-tech and life sciences through AMTZ and its pharma manufacturing zones. He also sought Adobe’s support in connecting Andhra Pradesh with major chip and hardware companies such as Intel, AMD and Applied Materials to strengthen the state’s vision for a robust fabless design and research ecosystem.
Focus on AI, semiconductors and future tech with NVIDIA and Intel
Lokesh met NVIDIA’s Enterprise and Cloud Sales Vice-President Raj Mirpuri at the company’s headquarters in Santa Clara. He invited NVIDIA to partner with Andhra Pradesh in AI skill development, smart manufacturing and future-ready industrial technologies. He proposed a smart-factory pilot using platforms like Omniverse and Isaac Sim. He also sought support in bringing global OSAT and ATMP partners to invest in the state.
At Intel’s headquarters, Lokesh met Intel Global IT CTO Sheshakrishnapura. He urged Intel to explore setting up an ATMP unit in Andhra Pradesh and highlighted the strong semiconductor ecosystem available along the Visakhapatnam–Chennai Industrial Corridor. He also proposed the establishment of an “Intel–Amaravati AI Research Center” in partnership with IIIT Sri City or IIT Tirupati. Lokesh requested Intel to support advanced training programs in AI, VLSI design, robotics and semiconductor fundamentals through Intel Skill Labs and curriculum partnerships.
A broader vision for AP’s digital future
Lokesh’s tour also included a meeting with OpenAI Chief Technology Officer Srinivas Narayanan. He discussed collaboration on AI skilling and the idea of helping every household nurture at least one AI-literate individual. He requested support to provide free ChatGPT access for undergraduate and school students in the initial phase. He also invited OpenAI to work with the state on setting up a dedicated AI University in Andhra Pradesh.
What this means for Andhra Pradesh
The tour has not yet produced immediate investment announcements. However, Lokesh succeeded in showcasing Andhra Pradesh as a state with real potential and a clear commitment to emerging technology. Global companies have begun to view AP as a serious contender for large-scale projects and innovation partnerships. His earlier pitches to Google played a major role in securing the AI Hub for Visakhapatnam. The meetings signal a new phase for the state as it attempts to lead India’s next wave of digital transformation.
