Home to one of the country’s largest ports, Visakhapatnam also has strong rail, road and air connectivity. | Photo Credit: KR DEEPAK

Once largely identified with its natural harbour, steel plant and naval presence, Visakhapatnam is now emerging as one of India’s fastest-growing investment destinations apart from being a growth engine for Andhra Pradesh.

In the last two years, the city has witnessed unprecedented momentum across sectors such as green energy, data centres, shipbuilding, logistics, tourism, information technology and advanced manufacturing. Backed by proactive policies of the Government of Andhra Pradesh, Visakhapatnam is steadily positioning itself as the State’s economic capital.

While Andhra Pradesh has attracted over ₹23 lakh crore investment in the last two years, more than 40 per cent of it has gone to the Visakhapatnam Economic Region as per the State Investment Promotion Board (SIPB) data.

”The numbers underline the positive shift in the growth of Visakhapatnam and the north coastal belt accounting for a sizeable share of projects. Major investments are flowing into renewable energy, pumped storage, port-led industries and electronics manufacturing,’” M Abhishikth Kishore, District Collector, Visakhapatnam told businessline.

Data Centre Capital

As per official data, Visakhapatnam is the first among the non-metros in the country to have witnessed fast growth since 2024 in terms of investments and new projects. Some of the major investments which have already been grounded in the region include Google’s $15 billion data centre project, ArcelorMittal & Nippon Steel (AMNS) Greenfield Steel Plant, ₹1 lakh crore Reliance Data Centre.

“Visakhapatnam has become a growth engine not only for the State but will eventually emerge as one data centre capitals of the world supported by Green Energy,’’ Kishore said, adding the city’s strategic advantage lies in its infrastructure ecosystem. 

Home to one of the country’s largest ports, the city also has strong rail, road and air connectivity. The proposed Bhogapuram international airport, expansion of the IT corridor, and new industrial nodes under the Visakhapatnam-Chennai Industrial Corridor are expected to further accelerate economic activity, MT Krishna Babu, Special Chief Secretary to Government, Investments and Infrastructure, Government of Andhra Pradesh, said. 

Visakhapatnam is also emerging as a major hub for shipbuilding and maritime industries. Large-scale plans for shipbuilding clusters, naval infrastructure and ancillary manufacturing are creating a strong industrial ecosystem along the coast. Public sector giant Hindustan Shipyard Limited continues to play a key role in anchoring the sector. Several IT and fintech firms are expanding operations amid lower operating costs and improving urban infrastructure compared to larger metros. 

Future Ready

The government is also working on ramping up urban infrastructure to cope with possible rise in population which now stands at about 80 lakh.

“We are prioritising express roads to connect the city and the upcoming airport and the new industrial clusters. Most of the works including those on beach roads and other radial roads are already underway,’’ Kishore said. 

For locals, the earning opportunities are increasing. “For many years, the face of Visakhapatnam has been that of one port and Vizag steel. But now, there is diverse development. Even though the present Government retained Amaravati as capital, the focus on Visakhapatnam Economic region is quite noticeable in the last two years,’’ said G Satyam, who runs a travel agency in Visakhapatnam.

Published on May 28, 2026