Commercial validation flight from Bhogapuram Airport on Jan4

Visakhapatnam: Andhra Pradesh has achieved a cusp of glory in turning into an ideal destination for investment be it data centers, new age technologies like AI and quantum computing, tourism, food processing, edutech, aerospace, ports and logistics and several other areas.

The main game-changer for the Visakhapatnam region, which has turned into a beehive of activity, is the fast-track completion of Bhogapuram International Airport, which is getting completed ahead of schedule. GMR Visakhapatnam International Airport Limited (GVIAL) is geared up for launching the first test-flight (commercial validation flight) from the greenfield airport on January 4. The first phase costing around Rs4,500 crore was supposed to be completed by December, 2026 but Union Civil Aviation Minister Kinjarapu Rammohan Naidu recently asked the management to make the airport operational by March or April.

“Proactive policies and periodical interactions with the stakeholders on short and long term goals are yielding the desired results with positive vibes spread all over the world on the immense investment potential across multiple sectors in Andhra Pradesh,” Confederation of Indian Industry AP Chapter Chairman and Fluentgrid Ltd Founder & CEO Gunnamani Murali Krishna, said.

He told Bizz Buzz that the signing of 613 MoUs envisaging an investment of Rs13.25 lakh crore at the 30th edition of CII Partnership Summit in Visakhapatnam on November 14 and 15 amplified the fact that Andhra Pradesh is a hot destination for investors. The investments are spread over the State with maximum investments coming to Visakhapatnam, Amaravati-Vijayawada and Tirupati. The GDP for Visakhapatnam, the largest city with robust industrial infrastructure, is estimated to have achieved $40 billion to $48.5 billion.

On an ambitious note, the recent formation of Visakhapatnam Economic Region comprising nine North Andhra districts targets to become a $750-$800 billion economy by 2047. With NITI Aayog identifying Visakhapatnam as one of the leading growth hubs in India, it is expected to emerge as global cities like Singapore and Tokyo.

As part of decentralisation, the government wants to develop logistics from East to West, Rayalaseema into a will be developed as horticulture and industrial hub and Coastal Andhra as aqua hub and Visakhapatnam region as AI hub with of data centers by Google with an investment of $15 billion and Reliance Industries an estimated $11 billion in the city. ArcelorMittal-Nippon Steel (India) has signed MoU for investing $18 billion at Nakkapalli in Anakapalle district near here in phases, the single largest investment so far.

Directing officials to ground the projects for which MoUs were signed in a record time, Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu told them to monitor the progress of the projects on a regular basis and if they encounter any problem, it should be brought to the notice of the concerned Minister to sort it out.

Amaravati Quantum Valley is one of the prestigious projects of the government. An advisory body for Quantum Valley will handle mentoring, monitoring, and venture capital, while the Ratan Tata Innovation Hub will mentor startups. Naidu mooted six towers of Amaravati Quantum Valley with two dedicated to quantum algorithms, two to artificial intelligence, and the remaining two to other emerging technologies, ensuring a balanced focus on innovation and research.

Besides setting targets to create skilled manpower for quantum computing, the State has decided to teach AI basics from class 7 onwards with a team formed in collaboration with Microsoft and Google. The official machinery went gaga after the first quarter saw a growth rate of 12.02 per cent and 11.28 per cent in the second quarter as against the national average of 8.70 per cent. For the rest of the year, the government has set a target to record a growth of 17.11 per cent. For achieving water security, the ongoing irrigation projects have led to storing of 944 TMCs for irrigation.