Lokesh pitched Andhra Pradesh as India’s most investor-ready destination, sought advanced research collaborations, and invited companies to establish development centres, R&D facilities and manufacturing units in the state.
Published Dec 09, 2025 | 11:17 AM ⚊ Updated Dec 09, 2025 | 11:17 AM
Nara Lokesh held meetings with CEOs and founders of US companies.;
Synopsis: Andhra Pradesh Minister Nara Lokesh held a series of meetings with leaders in global technology, venture capital, cybersecurity, cloud, quantum computing and green energy as part of his US tour. Lokesh also called on Indian Consul General Srikar Reddy and briefed him on the state’s rapid investment inflow.
Andhra Pradesh Minister for IT and Education Nara Lokesh continued his investment outreach in the United States for the third day on Monday, 8 December, holding a series of meetings with leaders in global technology, venture capital, cybersecurity, cloud, quantum computing and green energy.
Across engagements in San Francisco, Lokesh pitched Andhra Pradesh as India’s most investor-ready destination, sought advanced research collaborations, and invited companies to establish development centres, R&D facilities and manufacturing units in the state.
During his meeting with Arun Kumar, Managing Partner of Celesta VC, Lokesh spotlighted Andhra Pradesh’s improving investment climate, particularly the rise of Visakhapatnam as a major IT and data hub.
He urged the venture capital firm to establish a Deep-Tech Innovation Hub in the state focusing on semiconductors, AI and quantum computing. He told Celesta that AP is introducing the country’s first escrow-account-based industrial incentive disbursal system, guaranteeing transparent and time-bound payments to companies.
Arun Kumar said Celesta VC, which invests across the US, India, Israel and Southeast Asia, will study the state’s proposals, particularly in deep-tech, SaaS, robotics and cloud infrastructure domains.
At another meeting, Lokesh asked Creative Land Asia, led by founder Sajan Raj Kurup, to fast-track the implementation of the Creator Land – Amaravati project. He said the state government wants Amaravati to evolve into a global centre for the creative economy, equipped with virtual studios, transmedia production infrastructure, AR/VR entertainment clusters and gaming facilities.
Creative Land Asia briefed Lokesh on its work in blockchain-backed creative technologies and skill development through the proposed Creator Land Academy. The Amaravati project, agreed under an MoU last year, is projected to attract up to ₹10,000 crore in investments and generate 1.5 lakh jobs.
In his meeting with OpsRamp CEO Varma Koonapuneeni, Lokesh sought assistance in modernising Andhra Pradesh’s digital governance systems, smart city frameworks and IT infrastructure for emerging manufacturing clusters.
He proposed collaborations for training in AI-Ops, student internships and R&D partnerships through AP Tech Academia. OpsRamp, which serves over 500 global clients, said it would evaluate potential collaboration areas.
Seeking to strengthen design, digital fabrication and sustainable urban planning capabilities in Andhra Pradesh, Lokesh met Autodesk executives Dev Patel and Allison Rose. He invited Autodesk to set up a Global Capability Centre in Amaravati and sought support for creating a digital twin of the capital city using Autodesk’s advanced modelling platforms.
He also requested assistance in building an Autodesk Design & Innovation Academy and sought the company’s expertise in CFD modelling to create cyclone-resilient infrastructure for coastal regions. Autodesk, which has over 15 million users globally, said the proposals would be reviewed internally.
Lokesh also called on Indian Consul General Srikar Reddy and briefed him on the state’s rapid investment inflow — over ₹20 lakh crore in commitments in the past 18 months. He emphasised the state’s investor-friendly policies, robust industrial zones and focus on next-generation sectors such as AI, quantum computing, semiconductors, shipbuilding, pharma, data centres and robotics.
He sought the Consulate’s support in promoting US investments into Andhra Pradesh and described the government’s plan to establish a dedicated Quantum Valley in Amaravati.
Cybersecurity was another key area on Lokesh’s agenda. In his meeting with Zscaler CEO J Chaudhry, he invited the company to set up a Cybersecurity R&D and Development Centre in Visakhapatnam, citing the city’s emergence as a major data hub. He said that Zscaler’s AI cloud security systems would strengthen Andhra Pradesh’s digital infrastructure.
The company, which serves top banks, IT firms and government agencies in India, said it would examine the proposals.
Lokesh also held discussions with Salesforce Executive Vice-President Ramesh Raghuneni, inviting Salesforce to establish a Global Capability Centre and R&D hub in Visakhapatnam.
He pointed out that major global players—including Google, Reliance and Sify—are investing heavily in data centres in the city. Salesforce, which has a market cap of $250 billion and serves 1.5 lakh customers globally, said the proposals fit well with its India strategy and would be evaluated.
A major thrust of the day’s engagements centred on quantum computing. In talks with Rigetti Computing CTO David Rivas, Lokesh proposed the establishment of a Quantum Computing Research Wing in Amaravati’s upcoming Quantum Valley. He also sought to integrate Rigetti’s cloud quantum systems into AP’s governance and digital infrastructure projects.
Lokesh additionally discussed potential collaboration between Rigetti and Creator Land for AR/VR content creation and AI-driven media processing workflows. Rigetti, which operates advanced quantum hardware fabrication facilities in Fremont, expressed interest in studying the proposals.
Green hydrogen manufacturing also comprised a key component of Lokesh’s schedule on the third day. In his meeting with Ohmium CTO Chockalingam Karuppiah, Lokesh invited the company to establish an electrolyser manufacturing plant in Andhra Pradesh, particularly near Krishnapatnam.
He proposed joint pilot projects in solar- and wind-powered green hydrogen production and emphasised the state’s readiness for integrated ammonia and hydrogen supply chain development. Ohmium, which operates a gigawatt-scale electrolyser factory in Bengaluru and partners with industries across multiple continents, said it would assess the proposal.
(Edited by Muhammed Fazil.)
