From Our Correspondent
San Francisco meetings highlight push for AI, quantum computing, entertainment tech and green hydrogen
San Francisco: Andhra Pradesh has launched an aggressive global tech outreach in the United States, with IT and Education Minister Nara Lokesh meeting top executives from leading companies—including Autodesk, Salesforce, Rigetti, Ohmium, Canva and AMD—to pitch major investments, innovation partnerships and advanced research collaborations aimed at transforming Amaravati and Visakhapatnam into future-ready technology hubs. In talks with Autodesk Chief Technologist Dev Patel and Senior Director Allison Rose, Nara Lokesh proposed setting up a Design & Innovation Academy in Amaravati. Lokesh said Andhra Pradesh is rapidly advancing under CM Chandrababu Naidu’s leadership, with capital construction worth ₹65,000 crore underway.
He urged Autodesk to establish a Global Capability Center (GCC) in the upcoming Entertainment City and support the creation of a digital twin of Amaravati using InfraWorks and BIM 360 technologies. He also sought Autodesk’s CFD expertise to design cyclone-resilient coastal infrastructure.
Salesforce Urged to Set Up GCC in Vizag
Lokesh met Salesforce Executive Vice-President Ramesh Ragineni, inviting the tech giant to establish a Global Capability Center and R&D unit in Visakhapatnam. He said Vizag is emerging as India’s premier data city, with Google, Reliance and Sify investing heavily in data centres, making it an ideal time for Salesforce to enter the region.
AP Proposes Quantum Computing Wing in Amaravati
In a meeting with Rigetti Computing CTO David Rivas, Lokesh pitched for establishing a Quantum Computing Research Wing as part of the soon-to-be-launched “Quantum Valley” in Amaravati. He sought integration of Rigetti’s cloud quantum systems into AP’s digital infrastructure projects, and support for Creator Land in AR/VR content creation and AI-based media processing. He also invited Rigetti to use AP as a gateway to offer Quantum-as-a-Service to India and the Global South.
Ohmium Asked to Set Up Electrolyzer Manufacturing in AP
During discussions with Ohmium CTO Chockalingam Karuppiah, Lokesh proposed setting up an electrolyzer manufacturing plant in AP’s industrial zones such as Krishnapatnam. He encouraged co-development of pilot green hydrogen plants powered by solar and wind, and investments in supply chains, transportation and ammonia production.
Canva Invited to Partner in Creative Economy Projects
Lokesh met Canva Chief Customer Success Officer Rob Giglio and Education/Public Sector head Jason Wilmot, urging them to collaborate with Creative Land Asia for skills development under the Amaravati Creator Land project. He said Amaravati’s Entertainment City will be a major digital innovation hub.
AMD Encouraged to Establish Assembly Unit in AP
In a meeting with AMD Senior Vice-President Vamsi Boppana, Lokesh proposed an assembly, testing and packaging (ATP) unit for AMD products in AP’s electronics manufacturing clusters at Sri City and Kopparthi, positioning the state as a key link in global semiconductor supply chains.