As part of its artificial intelligence (AI) expansion strategy, Google has announced plans to build new subsea cable networks from India, connecting the country to Singapore, South Africa, and Australia. The project aims to strengthen India’s digital infrastructure and enhance its international connectivity capacity.
Under the plan, three subsea cable routes will be created. One cable will run directly from Visakhapatnam to South Africa. Another route will connect India with Singapore. A third new connection will link Mumbai to Western Australia.
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Visakhapatnam to emerge as international subsea gateway
Google also announced that four strategic fibre-optic routes will be developed between the United States, India, and regions in the Southern Hemisphere. These routes are intended to improve network stability and increase data transport capacity.
According to the company, the project is part of the 'America-India Connect' initiative. A new international subsea gateway will be established in Visakhapatnam.
In a statement, Google said, "These investments will establish Vizag as a major international subsea gateway, adding vital diversity from existing landings in Mumbai and Chennai." The company added, "For a nation of more than one billion people, this will increase the resilience of India's digital backbone and improve economic security."
Earlier, Google had announced an investment of $1.5 billion over the next five years to build its largest AI infrastructure hub outside the United States. The hub will be located in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh.
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India’s growing role in the AI ecosystem
Sundar Pichai, CEO of Google’s parent company Alphabet, said, "We are coming with a very clear message: we want to be a partner to India. I believe India is going to have an extraordinary trajectory and opportunity with AI," He added that India is in a unique position to advance in the AI sector and is also one of the biggest markets for Google's Gemini AI.
Alongside Google’s announcement, Nvidia stated that it has partnered with three cloud computing companies in India. The partnership will supply advanced processors for data centres to support AI system training and operations.
