Signs of transformation evident in Vizag’s IT space

Visakhapatnam: The city has boasted of talent, good institutions and a great quality of life for a long time now, but it lacked anchoring investments. However, the last two years have been a turning point, a game changer, for the City of Destiny as the scenario has changed now, opined Murali Krishna Gannamani, founder-CEO and Managing Director of Fluentgrid Limited.

In an interview with The Hans India, the founder-CEO and MD of Fluentgrid—a global software product company transforming the energy and utilities sector through AI-powered digital solutions, facilitating the global transition toward smarter utility grids, smart cities and infrastructure for a sustainable planet—observed that things are moving in a different direction altogether.

With Tata Consultancy Services, Cognizant and Infosys committed to setting up large campuses here, and Google starting work on its hyperscale AI data centre hub, Murali Krishna emphasised that the government’s speed and clarity of intent make a huge difference.

“Decisions that used to take years earlier are now made in a few weeks. For global companies like Fluentgrid, based in the city for over 28 years, the change in momentum is clearly visible,” he asserted.

As the Andhra Pradesh government is keen on its IT expansion drive, allotting land at a nominal lease price of 99 paise per acre to major IT players sets a new trend in the state.

“It is considered a positive signal and sends out a strong message to prospective global companies that Andhra Pradesh is serious about its partnership with them. The real value lies in what the companies commit in return in terms of investments, jobs and fixed timelines. Over the next three years, the committed campuses must shift from announcements to operations. The bigger change will come from the data centre and AI infrastructure. Once they are in place, Vizag will compete based on the ecosystem capabilities it has built as I foresee the city emerging as India’s eastern technology gateway,” Murali Krishna elaborated on how he sees IT expansion in Vizag for the next three years.

Terming the target of creating five lakh IT jobs in Vizag set by IT and HRD Minister Nara Lokesh as ambitious, the he stated that the data centre ecosystem, Global Capability Centres and the new IT campuses collectively give a clear picture of expansion and more importantly, open doors for long-term, high-quality jobs.

On how he views the major IT companies setting up shop in the city, Murali Krishna responded, “It is great for the holistic ecosystem. Large firms bring scale, global clients and structured hiring. That raises the bar for skills, salaries and infrastructure for everyone. Moreover, Vizag-headquartered companies like ours benefit from a deeper talent pool and a stronger city brand. Youth will benefit because they no longer have to leave home to build a world-class career. The goal should now be to connect these anchors with local firms, startups and colleges so the growth spreads across the city and is not confined to a few campuses.”

Since the government’s approach is ecosystem-led, Murali Krishna mentioned that Visakhapatnam lacked anchor investment and policy support for a long time, but not any longer as both are back on track.

“As there is a steady flow of graduates from premier institutions like IIM-V, Andhra University and GITAM, the next step has to be gravitating toward skills that cater to industrial needs, especially in domains such as AI, Cloud and Data Analytics. If this gets balanced, Vizag will not just be transformed into an IT hub but also a destination built for the AI era,” he defined.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Rani Devalla

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Rani Devalla is an experienced journalist specialised in a range of beats. From crime to politics, health to human interest, education to defence along with entertainment and feature stories, Rani Devalla, an accomplished writer with a passion for exploring diverse genres, has been reporting for the past 14 years. Serving as Bureau Chief of The Hans India in Visakhapatnam, Rani Devalla contributes to the organisation's editorial department through daily reporting, special stories and feature stories. After completing B.Com, Rani Devalla pursued Masters in Human Resource Management. Prior to joining The Hans India, Rani Devalla worked as a Principal Correspondent with The Hindu Group for six-and-a-half years. With rich expertise, she brings diverse perspectives to her reporting that makes her narratives stand out. When not immersed in writing, the journalist spends time reading, travelling and journaling.

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