Google plans $15b investment in US-India fiber-optic routes

Google announced a series of infrastructure projects aimed at improving digital connectivity between India, the US, and other regions.

The initiative, called America-India Connect, involves a five-year, US$15 billion investment in India’s digital infrastructure.

It includes the development of a new subsea gateway in Visakhapatnam, along with three subsea routes connecting India to Singapore, South Africa, and Australia, and four fiber-optic paths enhancing network resilience.

These routes aim to diversify India’s international connectivity and strengthen its digital backbone.

Additionally, Google is collaborating with Indian authorities to support digital skills development through the Mission Karmayogi platform, which serves over 20 million government employees.

The projects are designed to improve internet reliability and affordability, potentially aiding economic growth and digital inclusion.

The company plans to work with local partners to expand global connectivity and AI access.

🔗 Source: Google

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Google’s new data routes follow old maritime trade paths

The new subsea links will plug into Google’s global network and connect with other subsea cable systems.
A route from Visakhapatnam (Vizag) to South Africa will pair with the Equiano and Nuvem subsea cable systems. The combined setup will add a redundant, high-capacity path from the american east coast around Africa to Vizag 1.
Another corridor will run from Vizag to Singapore and tie into the Bosun and Tabua subsea cable systems. Together, they will form a line from the american west coast through Australia to Vizag 1.
Google frames the plan as echoing historic maritime merchant shipping routes between the New World and India, with the goal of tightening economic ties between the US and India 1.

Google is pushing for a full AI ecosystem along with new digital infrastructure

The effort builds on Google’s five-year, $15 billion investment in India’s digital infrastructure and includes a new international subsea gateway in Visakhapatnam (Vizag) 1.
Google also announced two $30 million Google.org impact challenges, with Google.org as the company’s philanthropic arm. One targets AI for government innovation, while the other backs AI for science 2.
The approach aligns with India’s aim to lead in AI. India placed third in a global AI competitiveness ranking calculated by Stanford University researchers, according to The Daily Star 3.
Google is also investing in digital skills and partnerships, including support for the Mission Karmayogi platform serving 20 million+ government employees. The mix supports growth for Google’s cloud and AI services in one of the world’s largest markets 1.