Amaravati, 16 Oct

Andhra Pradesh IT Minister Nara Lokesh on Thursday took a sharp dig at State Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar amid their ongoing war of words over Google’s announcement to invest USD 15 billion in a one-gigawatt Artificial Intelligence (AI) hub in Visakhapatnam.

“They say Andhra food is spicy. Seems some of our investments are, too. Some neighbours are already feeling the burn,” Lokesh posted on X, hinting at envy from neighbouring States and taking pride in Andhra’s emerging tech prominence.

A day earlier, Shivakumar had asserted that “there is no match for Bengaluru in infrastructure, innovation and human resources,” dismissing comparisons with other states. “Some people take Bengaluru’s name as they need it to market themselves,” he remarked.

Defending Karnataka’s investor appeal, Shivakumar added that the City’s inherent strength continues to attract major global firms. “No one is leaving Bengaluru,” he said.

Google’s investment, announced at the ‘Bharat AI Shakti’ event in New Delhi, marks its largest AI hub outside the US, significantly boosting Andhra Pradesh’s technology and employment landscape.