Google opens safety engineering centre in Hyderabad

New Delhi: Google has opened its Google Safety Engineering Centre (GSEC) in Hyderabad, marking its first such facility in the Asia-Pacific region and the fourth globally. The new centre is expected to support the company’s Safety Charter for India’s AI-led transformation and deepen efforts in cybersecurity, privacy engineering and responsible AI development.

The inauguration took place in the presence of Telangana Chief Minister Shri Anumula Revanth Reddy and IT Minister Shri D. Sridhar Babu. The announcement follows Google’s recent unveiling of its Safety Charter in New Delhi.

GSEC India will function as a hub for Google’s digital safety initiatives in the region. It will bring together teams working on user protection, enterprise security, and artificial intelligence. The centre is also expected to support broader operations across the Asia-Pacific region.

The facility will contribute to three core areas outlined in Google’s Safety Charter: protecting users from online fraud, supporting cybersecurity for institutions, and encouraging responsible AI development.

Preeti Lobana, Country Manager and Vice President, Google India, said, “For India’s digital engine to keep growing and powering its ambitious future, we must keep building trust in how users and enterprises access the digital landscape. With the inauguration of GSEC India today, we are bringing our global experience and expertise—from cutting-edge AI to foundational cybersecurity and user protection—to realise this commitment. Safety is a shared responsibility and this launch is a call for the entire ecosystem to come together and collaborate to make the entire chain stronger and smarter.”

Heather Adkins, Vice President of Engineering, Google Security, added, “At Google, safety is built into everything we do, grounded in our 'secure by design, secure by default' philosophy. AI represents an inflection point for digital security a force multiplier that narrows the gap between defenders and attackers, even eliminating it entirely in some cases. With GSEC India, we’re situating these capabilities in India to serve its unique landscape and also be a lighthouse for our global security efforts.”

Telangana’s Chief Minister Shri Anumula Revanth Reddy described the centre as a key development in the state’s effort to establish itself as a technology and cybersecurity hub. “The establishment of GSEC represents a pivotal moment in Telangana’s journey toward becoming a global hub for cybersecurity innovation. This first-of-its-kind facility in the Asia-Pacific region affirms Hyderabad’s crucial role in developing privacy, safety, and cyber-defence solutions for the next billion users, placing our state at the forefront of global digital safety efforts. With Telangana’s GSDP projected to reach ₹16.5 lakh crore and IT/ITeS exports rising to ₹2.7 lakh crore, supporting over 9.5 lakh high-skill jobs, GSEC’s presence will attract top-tier safety engineers and foster collaboration with academic institutions to tackle India’s unique cybersecurity challenges while creating thousands of direct and indirect employment opportunities.”

Telangana IT Minister Shri D. Sridhar Babu added, “The inauguration of GSEC India demonstrates the power of public-private partnerships in building a secure digital infrastructure for our nation. This centre will serve as a catalyst for innovation in cybersecurity, responsible AI development, and digital safety areas critical to India’s vision of becoming a global technology leader. We welcome Google’s significant investment in Telangana’s ecosystem and look forward to the transformative impact this facility will have on strengthening our state’s position as a premier destination for cutting-edge technology research and development.”

The centre is set to support India’s broader digital safety needs through a range of initiatives. These include AI-powered threat detection tools, scam alerts via Gemini Nano on Android, fraud detection on platforms like Google Pay and Gmail, and adversarial testing to address AI-driven manipulation. Tools such as SynthID are being deployed to mark AI-generated content, and education campaigns will be adapted to regional languages and contexts.

In collaboration with the Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT-Madras), the facility will also contribute to areas like Post-Quantum Cryptography. Initiatives such as the Global Signals Exchange will support information-sharing within the cybersecurity ecosystem.