Amazon plans 1.6-mn sq ft office in Hyderabad SEZ

Amazon is working with architectural consultants for design and has completed field survey and contour mapping on 10 acres allotted by state govt

Global internet retailer Amazon Inc intends to build a 1.6-million-sq-ft office space at the Nanakramguda special economic zone here to cater to its technical (software development) and non-technical (support/ back office) operations. This would be its first dedicated and owned facility after the one in Seattle.

Amazon is working with its architectural consultants for the design and has completed the field survey and contour mapping on the 10 acres allotted by the state government. It has started its building plan preparation activities and would be able to complete the construction in three years. It would also take steps to hire 5,000 professionals in the next couple of years.

According to an official release, a team met state minister for information technology, electronics and communications, Ponnala Lakshmaiah, here on Thursday and briefed him about the plans.

Amazon is one of the largest e-commerce companies founded in 1994 by Jeff Bezos. It has an annual revenue of $48 billion and employs 56,000.

Amazon was invited to Hyderabad in 2005. It expanded its employee strength from 100 to 4,000 at its leased premises in the IT Park.

The state had allotted 10.57 acres of AP Industrial Infrastructure Corporation land for its centre in the city. As the land was subject to legal issues, Amazon could not start construction even after payment.

With the possession of land getting delayed from the government side, Amazon was aggressively exploring Pune and Mumbai.

Meanwhile, Lakshmaiah met officials at the Amazon's US headquarters and invited them twice for working out a solution on the court issue. After continuous follow-up by the minister, Amazon agreed to expand significantly in Hyderabad.

It intends to increase its employee base here from 4,000 to 13,500 (a 300 per cent increase). This translates to indirect employment for 63,000, the release said.