A consortium including Microsoft and Lightstorm, a Singapore-based telecom infrastructure company, plans to build the 3,600-km I-2SEA subsea cable linking India with Malaysia and Singapore.

Lightstorm Group chief executive and managing director Amajit Gupta said the system is expected to be operational in the fourth quarter of 2029 and is intended to support rising AI, cloud, and hyperscale demand.

The group also includes Tata Communications, Singapore Telecommunications ASEAN Cableship, and NEC Corporation. The companies did not disclose the investment size.

The network will have a landing station in Machilipatnam, in India’s Andhra Pradesh state.

Meta and Alphabet have announced data centers there.

Macquarie Equity Research said India could double operational data-center capacity from 1.4 gigawatts to 2.8 gigawatts by 2027, based on projects under construction.

Lightstorm said the new network is expected to increase the number of AI and cloud zones it connects across India to 29 from 19.

🔗 Source: Reuters