Vepagunta, Vizag

GVMC is planning to increase the number of municipal wards from 98 to 120 to improve grassroots public representation in the rapidly growing city. This administrative exercise will restructure existing large wards into smaller,units, particularly in areas like Bheemunipatnam, Madhurawada, Pendurthi, and Anakapalli.

Larson & Toubro (L&T) has allocated ₹100 billion for its data centre business under 'Lakshya 2031', aiming to create 200 MW of capacity across Vizag, Bengaluru, and Mumbai. The focus will be on AI-ready infrastructure to cater to global hyperscalers and quantum computing organizations.

Visakhapatnam is set to become India's data center capital with an anticipated investment of Rs 6.32 lakh crore in data center projects. The Andhra Pradesh government plans to build a full-stack digital ecosystem, including local manufacturing of critical components. This initiative aims to shift focus from infrastructure to integrated tech manufacturing, potentially hosting more data centers than the entire country combined.

Visakhapatnam Metropolitan Region Development Authority plans to develop approximately 25,000 housing plots for middle-income homebuyers by 2026. This initiative aims to expand affordable residential land availability and support structured urban growth. The project will be implemented alongside infrastructure upgrades, including road development and transport integration.

Google has officially broken ground on its India AI hub in Visakhapatnam, marking the start of a significant data center and infrastructure buildout. The project, a collaboration with AdaniConneX and Nxtra by Airtel, includes three data center campuses with a combined capacity approaching one gigawatt. This initiative is part of Google's $15 billion investment plan in India

NITI Aayog has submitted its report 'Developing Visakhapatnam Economic Region as a Global Economic Hub' under the Vizag growth hub initiative. The Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation (GVMC) is tasked with project development and implementation, and has floated a request for proposal to select a consultancy firm as the project monitoring unit.

Visakhapatnam is experiencing a surge in vertical housing projects due to land scarcity and evolving customer preferences. New Andhra Pradesh Building Rules have raised the threshold for high-rise classification, allowing developers to build taller mid-rise project. Several new residential projects have been launched, including VK Aurora in Madhurawada and Utkarsha Pearl in Bheemunipatnam.

The Andhra Pradesh government is accelerating efforts to make Visakhapatnam a slum-free city as part of the Visakhapatnam Economic Region (VER) initiative. This involves identifying slum areas within the GVMC jurisdiction and providing permanent housing. Infrastructure upgrades such as road construction, drain covering, and LED streetlight installation are underway in these areas.