Athira Sethu
Kochi, 10 July 2025
Andhra Pradesh IT Minister Nara Lokesh has inked a strategic partnership with ANSR, a world leader in establishing and operating Global Capability Centers (GCCs). It was signed at Lokesh’s roadshow in Bengaluru with the objective of promoting big-ticket IT investments to the state.
Under this collaboration, ANSR will assist in creating a cutting-edge innovation campus in the Madhurawada IT cluster in Visakhapatnam. The campus shall create more than 10,000 jobs over the next five years.
ANSR to Draw on Local Talent Ecosystem
ANSR boasts a solid global reputation, having enabled 135 GCCs worldwide with a total investment of $2 billion. The firm will collaborate closely with Andhra Pradesh to enable international businesses to leverage the state’s talented workforce.
ANSR CEO Lalit Ahuja called Visakhapatnam an optimal destination because of the city’s unique blend of world-class talent, infrastructure, and visionary leadership. He added the new innovation campus would be an eminent GCC destination of choice for leading international companies.
Driving Employment Through Technology
Minister Lokesh reconfirmed the government’s vision of creating 2 million jobs in four years, including 5,00,000 jobs in IT and GCC sectors. He laid stress on the potential of Visakhapatnam as a combination of Bengaluru’s technology culture and Goa’s quality of living and highlighted its emergence as a business and talent center.
Visakhapatnam to Lead India’s Digital Revolution
Lokesh presented insights into significant developments, such as Google opening its first and biggest data center outside the US in Visakhapatnam. He unveiled plans to develop India’s largest data city with AI labs, analytics hubs, cloud infrastructure, and computing clusters.
To identify world-class players, the government has acknowledged incentives from companies like TCS and Cognizant by providing them land at significantly subsidized prices (₹0.99 per acre). Lokesh also mentioned acquiring the best 100 IT companies to identify them in Andhra Pradesh.
Academic and Infrastructure Alignment
To address industry requirements, the state is aligning higher education curricula with GCC skill demands, particularly in fields such as cloud computing, AI, cybersecurity, and product engineering. The government is collaborating with businesses to have a future-proof talent pool.
Building Smart Cities and Connectivity
In line with its Emerging Cities initiative, Andhra Pradesh is also building smart infrastructure in Amaravati, Tirupati, Anantapur, and Kakinada. Lokesh added that construction is underway at Bhogapuram International Airport to enhance air connectivity.
Senior Officials present
The launch event was also graced by state IT secretary Katamneni Bhaskar, underlining the administration’s collective effort to make Andhra Pradesh a key global IT destination