Andhra Pradesh Minister Nara Lokesh, on his visit to the US, met with Indian-origin business leaders, including Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, Adobe chief executive Shantanu Narayen, and Apple VP operations Priya Balasubramaniam, as he sought US investments in areas ranging from AI to manufacturing, agritech and e-governance.
Lokesh, on a week-long trip to the US, in posts on X, formerly Twitter, detailed his meeting with leading corporates from Microsoft, Adobe, Apple, Tesla, Ross Perot group, etc. to discuss their plans for investment in Andhra Pradesh.
He also met with Tesla's new CFO Vaibhav Taneja, and discussed plans for Tesla in India, and specifically their role in the EV / clean energy sector in Andhra Pradesh.
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"Visited @Tesla HQ in Austin and pitched Anantapur as the perfect spot for Tesla's EV and battery units! Had an inspiring discussion with CFO Vaibhav Taneja about transforming Andhra Pradesh into an EV manufacturing hub," he said in a post.
Andhra Pradesh is targeting 72 GW of renewable energy by 2029. "Ready to lead the green energy revolution and eager to collaborate with global innovators like Tesla to make it happen," he added.
Lokesh has been speaking about the new set of policies launched by the Chandrababu Naidu administration, specifically, the new industrial policies, clean energy policy, private parks policy etc. Andhra Pradesh has a big coastline of over 975 km, which can provide opportunities for large corporates to set up their manufacturing facilities.
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Lokesh has also been talking about the upcoming urban areas in Vizag and Amaravati that can support large IT/AI clusters that can be developed by Adobe, and Microsoft.
In a recent interaction with Jensen Huang of Nvidia, Lokesh spoke about his plans to develop an AI University in Amaravati and sought Jensen's support and guidance in developing this university further.
In a meeting with Ross Perot Jr of the Ross Perot group, Lokesh spoke about the development of the coastal region as an industrial and logistics park along the lines of their existing park in the US that is known as the Alliance Texas project.
In a key win for the state, after a meeting with Lokesh, Serentica Global (a subsidiary of Vedanta group) announced plans to develop over 10,000 MW of renewable energy capacity. This would entail an investment of over Rs 60,000 crore.
Lokesh, the IT, electronics and HR minister of Andhra Pradesh -- has also recently been appointed as the Chairman of a Group of Ministers on job creation. In this capacity, he has been working with leading investors. In this role, he has emerged as a chief spokesperson of the state for investments across sectors like manufacturing, clean energy, IT, AI and e-governance that can generate large-scale jobs.
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"Had an insightful meeting with @satyanadella, CEO of @Microsoft. Sought his valuable guidance and support in advancing IT, AI, and skill development in Andhra Pradesh. Looking forward to collaborative efforts to drive digital transformation and opportunities in the state," he said on his meeting with Microsoft CEO.
On his meeting with Adobe's Narayen in San Francisco, the minister said he "pitched Andhra Pradesh as a prime investment destination, highlighting our state's forward-thinking, investor-friendly policies. We explored Adobe's potential collaboration in transforming e-governance and digital education across Andhra Pradesh, and I'm excited about the transformative impact this partnership could bring!"
He also visited Apple's corporate headquarters in San Francisco.
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"Met the VP of Operations, Priya Balasubramaniam. During our conversation, I emphasised AP's talented youth, whose skills align with Apple’s operational standards. I invited Apple to grow its operations in Andhra Pradesh, where business-friendly government and policies await them. The GoAP is ready to provide all necessary support and facilities for setting up manufacturing units at their chosen location in AP," he added.
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