Brands
Google secures AP discom licence to power $15bn Vizag AI hub
First-of-its-kind move gives tech giant grid control for massive 1GW campus
VISAKHAPATNAM: Google has secured a rare electricity distribution company licence in Andhra Pradesh, marking a decisive shift from being just a power consumer to becoming a power distributor for its upcoming mega data centre hub in Visakhapatnam.
The move effectively rewrites the rulebook for hyperscalers in India. Instead of relying on state utilities, Google will be able to procure electricity directly from generators, including its own renewable sources. This not only cuts out intermediaries but also gives the company tighter control over supply, reliability and long-term costs.
For a business where electricity can account for up to 60 per cent of operating expenses, the economics are hard to ignore. Even more critical is uptime. Data centres demand near-perfect reliability, and owning the distribution layer allows Google to manage outages and load balancing with far greater precision.
At the heart of the plan is a sprawling 1-gigawatt data centre ecosystem spread across more than 600 acres in three locations near Vizag. With an estimated investment of $15 billion over five years, the project is set to become India’s largest single foreign direct investment and Google’s biggest AI-focused facility outside the United States.
The campus is being designed with artificial intelligence workloads in mind, housing the company’s custom tensor processing units to power services such as Gemini, Search and Google Cloud. In scale, the planned capacity is comparable to powering a small city.
Google is not building alone. It has partnered with Adani Infrastructure to develop the physical campuses, while Bharti Airtel will set up an international subsea cable landing station. This connectivity backbone is expected to link the hub directly to a dozen countries, ensuring low latency for global data traffic.
Vizag’s coastal location plays a key role in that strategy. It enables direct access to subsea cables and provides the large volumes of water needed for cooling data centre operations. Equally important is policy backing from the Government of Andhra Pradesh, which fast-tracked approvals and granted the uncommon discom licence to anchor the investment.
Groundbreaking is scheduled for April 28, 2026, with phased commissioning expected to begin by July 2028.
The broader signal is clear. As AI workloads surge, hyperscalers are no longer content plugging into existing infrastructure. They are beginning to build and control it. In Vizag, Google is not just setting up a data centre, it is wiring up its own future.
Brands
Raymond unveils Chairman’s Collection luxury store in Bandra
New 11,000 sq ft flagship redefines menswear retail with couture experience.
MUMBAI: Raymond has just raised the bar for luxury shopping in India by turning a store into a full-blown sartorial journey. The iconic menswear brand has launched its Chairman’s Collection flagship store in the heart of Bandra, Mumbai. Spanning over 11,000 square feet across two levels, the stunning space opened on the weekend of 10 April and offers a bold, immersive experience that blends fine menswear, evolved design, and exceptional craftsmanship.
Drawing inspiration from Renaissance and Baroque aesthetics with a contemporary European sensibility, the store is rooted in Indian craftsmanship while reflecting a distinctly global identity. It is divided into three distinct worlds:
- Modern Opulence – Casual Couture: Elevated casualwear featuring printed silk shirts, embroidered denim, and statement separates.
- Power Dressing – Contemporary Heirlooms: Exquisite suits in world-class fabrics, embellished jackets, and Indo-Western silhouettes.
- Art, Heritage & Experimentation – Indian Renaissance: Artisanal garments combining Renaissance-inspired prints with traditional techniques like zardozi and hand embroidery.
Beyond apparel, the store offers fine jewellery (including lab-grown diamonds), curated fragrances, and luxury watches, creating a holistic luxury destination. The experience is appointment-led, ensuring personalised service including bespoke tailoring and styling.
Raymond Lifestyle Limited, CEO Satyaki Ghosh said, “Chairman’s Collection reflects the pride of creating international-quality luxury, made in India, for the modern Indian man. This is a logical brand evolution towards launching a first-of-its-kind couture experience in India.”
The store also features gallery-style displays, a refined tailoring zone, and curated collectibles, including Formula 1-inspired models and Art Deco pieces, reflecting the Chairman’s passion for automobiles and fine art.
In a market increasingly hungry for meaningful luxury, Raymond has moved beyond traditional retail to create a space that doesn’t just dress a man, it defines his lifestyle. With the Chairman’s Collection, the brand is proving that true luxury in India is no longer just about what you wear, but how you experience it.
This new flagship is more than a store, it’s a statement that Indian luxury has arrived, and it’s dressed to impress.
