We're in a hurry, only have 5 years: Nara Lokesh on Andhra's big data centre push

Speaking at the India Today Conclave South 2026, Andhra Pradesh minister Nara Lokesh, 43, said the younger generation, particularly Gen Z, was demanding faster change and that the government wanted to demonstrate tangible results within its tenure.Andhra Pradesh minister Nara Lokesh speaking at the India Today Conclave South 2026 in Kochi on Wednesday.New Delhi,Sep 30, 2026 13:59 ISTAndhra Pradesh minister Nara Lokesh on Wednesday said the state government is "in a hurry" to build its massive data centre ecosystem, stressing that it had only five years to deliver results. Underlining that speed would be the government's "hallmark", the 43-year-old minister said the ruling dispensation was responding to a younger generation that expects change almost immediately.Speaking at the India Today Conclave South 2026, Lokesh said the government's urgency was also driven by the expectations of Gen Z, who, he said, "want to see changes as of yesterday" and are demanding visible results at a faster pace."Absolutely, we are in a hurry because we have only five years. The current generation, which is Gen Z, is also in a hurry. They also want to see changes as of yesterday. "They (youngsters) want us to show results. I want to show that results and speed is our hallmark," the IT and Electronics Minister said.CLUSTER-BASED APPROACH FOR DATA CENTRESThe TDP leader said that Andhra Pradesh is adopting a cluster-based approach in developing data centres instead of allowing them to be spread randomly across the state. "We are also doing it in a cluster-based approach. We are not peppering data centres across the state. It's a very systematic process," he said. He said the government was factoring in the infrastructure requirements of the proposed clusters, including water and energy. He said the water consumption of such facilities would be comparable to that of an IT centre and that the requirements were being accounted for in the planning process."Yes, we are planning for it. That's why I said 23 clusters," Lokesh said. Lokesh said Andhra Pradesh's data centre strategy was not limited to attracting large investments or setting up physical infrastructure. "When it's not just about attracting investments, it's about attracting all verticals that go into building a cluster," he said.The minister said the state government wants to develop an ecosystem covering the entire value chain, including skilling, testing and certification. He said such a broader ecosystem approach would help distinguish Andhra Pradesh from other states competing for data centre investments.- Ends