Summary:
AdaniConneX, in partnership with Google, plans to develop 1 GW of data centre capacity in Visakhapatnam using air-based cooling technology to reduce freshwater consumption. The facilities at Mudasarlova and Tarluvada will incorporate water recycling, dedicated industrial water supplies and wastewater reuse under a zero-discharge policy, helping minimise the impact on local water resources, including the Mudasarlova Reservoir and Kambalakonda Wildlife Sanctuary.
AdaniConneX’s planned data centre campuses in Visakhapatnam, being developed in collaboration with Google, will adopt air-based cooling systems to minimise freshwater use across three locations, according to project details.
The proposed facilities at Mudasarlova and Tarluvada are part of a planned 1 gigawatt (GW) data centre project designed to establish Visakhapatnam as a centre for artificial intelligence (AI) and digital infrastructure. Unlike conventional data centres that depend on evaporative cooling and cooling towers, these campuses will use air-cooled technology to avoid the substantial water consumption associated with such systems.
Approximately 80 per cent of the limited freshwater needed across the three sites will be allocated to landscaping, kitchens and worker amenities. The project will also include on-site facilities for water recycling and reuse. Dedicated industrial water connections will supply the campuses, lowering their dependence on municipal supplies and reducing competition with residential areas for drinking water.
The facilities will implement a zero-discharge policy for domestic wastewater. All wastewater will undergo treatment at an on-site sewage treatment plant before being reused for landscaping and flushing. No treated wastewater will be released into the Mudasarlova Reservoir.
These initiatives aim to minimise the project’s effects on local water resources, particularly the Mudasarlova Reservoir and the neighbouring Kambalakonda Wildlife Sanctuary.
