Hyderabad: Andhra Pradesh is positioning itself as the IT and Global Capability Centre (GCC) capital in the country and also as India's gateway to the East with the construction of four new greenfield ports, a senior government official said on Tuesday. The state already has six operating seaports and the four greenfield ports would be operational in a couple of years, said C M Saikanth Varma, CEO of AP Economic Development Board (EDB).
He was speaking on the sidelines of an IT, GCC, Coworking and IT Infrastructure Investment Promotion Roadshow hosted by the state government in Hyderabad. The roadshow brought together more than 100 CEOs and senior industry leaders from leading IT firms, GCCs and others, a release said. Varma said the port city of Visakhapatnam is ready to become the next IT, GCC and AI capital of the country in view of its excellent social infrastructure and other advantages.
"Under the leadership of the Chief Minister (N Chandrababu Naidu) and also being led by the IT Minister Nara Lokesh, I think the state is trying to position itself as the IT and GCC capital in the country. We want to catch up to the AI wave, which is coming up in a big wave," he told PTI Videos. Google announcing its USD 15 billion AI data city in Vizag is an example of it, he said. The government hopes that through the road shows, it is able to connect with the IT and GCC players, showcase the state's opportunities, core strengths and policy to the investors, he said.
Observing that the state government is adopting more of a cluster-based model wherein it wants to build ecosystems in a specific region, Varma said Visakhapatnam is being projected as an IT, GCC and AI cluster. Visakhapatnam has got some great social infrastructure with good air connectivity but it is probably one of the most underrated cities, he said. The new international airport coming up in Visakhapatnam would be operationalised in five to six months from now and the city is also going to get its first metro in a few years from now, he said.
With the availability of five star hotels, resorts, and many more coming up, the government feels that "Visakhapatnam is ready to become the next IT, GCC and AI capital of the country", he said. Bhaskar Katamneni, the state government's IT Secretary, who joined the roadshow virtually, delivered a special address focusing on why investors should choose Visakhapatnam as their next investment destination.
He highlighted Visakhapatnam's competitive cost structures, deep talent pool, infrastructure "readiness", the government's proactive facilitation framework and state supported initiatives such as 'Kaushalam', a release said. Sreedhar Kosaraju, Chairman, Andhra Pradesh Digital Technology Industry Network (APDTI) highlighted Visakhapatnam's growing relevance as a scalable IT and GCC destination, it said. Raksha Sharda, Vice President, Primus Partners, presented the key findings of the report "Reimagining India's East Coast - Vizag's Rise as a Hub for GCCs".
Disclaimer: This story is from the syndicated feed. Nothing has been changed except the headline.
