Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh – India is poised to dramatically enhance its global digital connectivity, with the eastern coastline of Andhra Pradesh set to become a pivotal international subsea cable landing hub. Driven by aggressive data centre buildouts by tech giants like Google and Microsoft, this strategic development will establish Visakhapatnam as India’s third major international digital gateway, profoundly reshaping the nation’s internet landscape and bolstering its position in the global digital economy.
The surge in data centre investments across Andhra Pradesh and Telangana is directly catalysing the need for robust, high-capacity international connectivity. This has led to the imminent arrival of new subsea cable systems that will directly link India to critical global internet infrastructure. Among the most significant projects are the India-Southeast Asia (I-2SEA) Submarine Cable System, backed by a consortium including Microsoft Corp, Lightstorm, and Singaporean telco Singtel, and Google’s ambitious globe-spanning America-India Connect system. Both are slated to land in Visakhapatnam, a city rapidly transforming into a technological nerve centre, notably with Google’s extensive data centre complex under construction.
Alexander Smith, a Google executive overseeing physical infrastructure projects in the Asia Pacific region, underscored the profound implications of this development. "As part of this AI hub… we’re bringing in multiple new subsea cables that will land on the coast of Andhra Pradesh around the Visakhapatnam area," Smith stated in an interview with The Hindu on Thursday, August 27, 2026. He further elaborated on the strategic importance: "That will mean that essentially India will have, after Mumbai and Chennai, a third digital international subsea gateway… connecting India directly with Southeast Asia, so Singapore and a couple of the other main markets, down into Australia and right around into the Middle East and Europe and beyond. So this will… make India and Vizag in particular one of the most connected places in the world."
This transformative initiative is not merely about increasing bandwidth; it represents a strategic pivot for India’s digital infrastructure, addressing critical vulnerabilities, enhancing resilience, and positioning the nation at the forefront of the global AI and data revolution.
The Dawn of a New Digital Era: Why the East Coast Matters
For decades, India’s primary international internet gateways have been concentrated on its western and southern coasts, predominantly Mumbai and Chennai. While these cities have served as vital digital arteries, the increasing demand for high-speed, low-latency connectivity, coupled with geopolitical considerations and the sheer volume of data generated by a digitally-active populace, has necessitated diversification. The eastern coast, particularly Andhra Pradesh, offers an untapped frontier for establishing new, resilient digital pathways.
The decision by global tech behemoths to invest heavily in data centres in states like Andhra Pradesh and Telangana is a primary driver. These data centres, designed to serve burgeoning domestic demand for cloud services, artificial intelligence, and digital platforms, require unparalleled international connectivity to function effectively. Subsea cables are the invisible backbone of the internet, carrying over 99% of intercontinental data traffic. By bringing these critical cables directly to the east coast, India is laying the foundation for a more robust, distributed, and secure digital future.
The development aligns with the broader vision of making India a global hub for technology and innovation. Andhra Pradesh, in particular, has been proactive in attracting such investments, with state IT Minister Nara Lokesh recently laying the foundation for Visakhapatnam’s first 50 MW AI-powered edge data center and open cable landing station, a testament to the state’s commitment to building a cutting-edge digital ecosystem. This move complements Microsoft’s broader investment strategy, including a significant commitment of ₹1,772 crore for India’s largest quantum computing facility in Amaravati, signalling a comprehensive push towards advanced technological infrastructure in the region.
Key Players and Transformative Cable Systems
The upcoming cable systems are sophisticated engineering marvels designed to carry vast amounts of data at light speed, bridging continents and connecting economies. Their arrival marks a new chapter in India’s digital connectivity story.
The I-2SEA Submarine Cable System: Forging a New Corridor
The India-Southeast Asia (I-2SEA) Submarine Cable System is a 3,600-kilometre undersea network designed to provide a high-capacity, low-latency link between India and the vibrant digital economies of Southeast Asia. This ambitious project is a collaborative effort, demonstrating the industry’s commitment to shared infrastructure development. Microsoft Corp, a global leader in cloud computing and AI, is a key participant in the consortium, alongside Lightstorm, an Indian digital infrastructure provider, and Singtel, a prominent Singaporean telecommunications company.
Amajit Gupta, CEO of Lightstorm, elaborated on the cable’s significance in an interview with The Hindu in June. He stated that I-2SEA "connects Southeast Asia, specifically Singapore and Malaysia, to the east coast of India," highlighting its strategic route. While the cable system also connects to Chennai, its primary impact lies in establishing a "brand new corridor to South Asia" from Southeast Asia. This is crucial because a significant portion of the digital infrastructure serving Indian enterprises and consumers, particularly for cloud services and content delivery networks, currently resides in Southeast Asian hubs like Singapore. The I-2SEA system is projected to be ready for service by Q4 2029, promising a substantial upgrade in connectivity.
Google’s America-India Connect: A Global Lifeline
Parallel to the I-2SEA initiative, Google is spearheading its own monumental project: the America-India Connect system. This global cable network is designed to enhance connectivity between the Americas and India, further solidifying India’s position on the world’s digital map. The cable’s landing in Visakhapatnam is particularly strategic, aligning directly with Google’s massive data centre complex under construction in the city.
The integration of the cable landing station with the data centre complex signifies a holistic approach to infrastructure development. It ensures that the high-speed data brought ashore by the subsea cable can be immediately processed, stored, and distributed within Google’s ecosystem, benefiting both its own services and those of its enterprise and government clients in India. This direct link to a global network vastly reduces latency and improves the reliability of Google’s cloud services, AI platforms, and consumer applications for Indian users.
Addressing India’s Aging Digital Infrastructure
The urgency behind these new cable deployments is not solely driven by growth; it is also a response to the inherent limitations and vulnerabilities of India’s existing subsea cable infrastructure, particularly on the east coast. For years, the nation has relied on a network of cables, many of which are nearing or have already surpassed their optimal operational lifespan.
Amajit Gupta of Lightstorm candidly addressed this critical issue. "If you peel the onion and look at the cables which connect the east coast of India… most of these are pretty old cables," he observed. He estimated their age to be "easily about 8, 10, 12, 15 years old." The implications of this age are multifaceted: these older cables "are filled with capacity and are also rapidly running into end of life."
Aging cables present several challenges:
- Limited Capacity: Designed for an era with significantly lower data demands, they struggle to keep pace with today’s exponential growth in internet traffic, leading to potential bottlenecks and slower speeds.
- Increased Latency: Older technologies and longer routes can contribute to higher latency, impacting real-time applications, financial transactions, and online gaming.
- Higher Maintenance Costs: As infrastructure ages, it becomes more prone to faults and requires more frequent and costly repairs.
- Technological Obsolescence: Older cables often use less efficient fibre optics and transmission technologies compared to modern systems, which can carry vastly more data per fibre pair.
- Risk of Failure: The primary concern is the increased risk of outages. A single cable cut due to natural disasters, ship anchors, or other unforeseen events can severely disrupt connectivity for an entire region if there isn’t sufficient redundancy.
The new cable buildout in a fresh location like Visakhapatnam is therefore "key to preserving Indian internet connectivity from a strategic standpoint," as Gupta emphasized. It offers not just additional capacity but also a much-needed refresh of technology and geographical diversification, enhancing the overall resilience and robustness of India’s internet backbone.
Geopolitical Resilience and Strategic Imperatives
Beyond technical and economic considerations, the investments in new subsea cable landing stations are increasingly driven by geopolitical realities and the imperative for national digital sovereignty and resilience. In an increasingly interconnected yet volatile world, the security and reliability of critical digital infrastructure have become paramount.
Amajit Gupta articulated this strategic dimension, noting "geopolitical derisking tailwinds driving these investments." He pointed to global instability as a key factor: "I don’t need to tell you what’s happening in West Asia, which means people are beginning to think, hey, now this is getting so dangerous, why can’t we flush the traffic out to the eastern coast of India so that at the least I have resilience and at the best I have an alternate path [in case connectivity is lost]."
This statement highlights a critical shift in strategic thinking. Historically, infrastructure planning focused primarily on efficiency and cost. However, recent global events, including conflicts and regional tensions, have underscored the vulnerability of concentrated infrastructure. By diversifying cable landing points to India’s eastern coast, the nation creates an alternate route for its international data traffic. This "alternate path" is a crucial layer of redundancy, ensuring that even if connectivity through traditional western or southern routes is disrupted due to geopolitical events, natural disasters, or accidents, India’s digital economy and communications can remain operational.
The strategic importance of these investments extends to data sovereignty. Having multiple, secure landing points managed within national borders, and connecting to diverse international partners, enhances India’s control over its digital future. It reduces reliance on single points of failure and strengthens the nation’s ability to participate robustly in the global digital ecosystem, securing its critical data flows.
Beyond the Coastline: The Terrestrial Backbone
The arrival of subsea cables at India’s coast is only half the story. To truly transform the nation’s digital landscape, this massive influx of international bandwidth must be efficiently distributed across the vast hinterland. This necessitates a significant expansion and upgrade of terrestrial fibre optic networks, connecting the new landing stations to major metropolitan areas and data centres across the country.
Alexander Smith of Google emphasized the pan-India scope of their project. "This is a pan-India project," he stated. "We’re needing to install and then light and operate thousands of kilometres of new fibre… I think what’s kind of underappreciated is that this will really create a robust new layer of digital connectivity… that will go between some of the mainline metros." This extensive terrestrial buildout is crucial for ensuring that the benefits of enhanced international connectivity reach end-users, businesses, and government services nationwide, not just in coastal cities.
Lightstorm, taking inspiration from landside fibre built atop electrical transmission lines, has outlined ambitious plans for terrestrial connectivity. Amajit Gupta indicated that Lightstorm is "likely to build a terrestrial corridor… which will connect Machilipatnam to Mumbai, Hyderabad and similarly Chennai to Hyderabad and Mumbai with the same bandwidth." This strategic network will create high-capacity, low-latency links between the new east coast landing points and India’s major economic and digital hubs. Lightstorm already operates a significant terrestrial fibre network, complementing the infrastructure provided by other key players like Tata Communications Ltd and the three private telecom operators. The goal is to create a seamless, high-speed digital highway that integrates the new subsea capacity with the national digital grid.
Global Fiber Shortage: A Headwind in the Digital Race
While the vision for enhanced connectivity is clear, its execution faces significant challenges, notably a global shortage of fibre optic cables. The rapid and widespread mushrooming of Artificial Intelligence (AI) projects across the world has created an unprecedented surge in demand for high-capacity networking infrastructure, leaving manufacturers struggling to keep up.
Amajit Gupta highlighted this critical constraint, noting, "Fiber itself is out of stock across the globe, including from Indian manufacturers. And then the fiber sub-components, the fiber raw material, the inputs are all in short supply." This situation, he added, "has never been the case for the last 10 to 15 years," underscoring the severity of the current supply chain crunch.
The reasons for this shortage are multifaceted:
- Explosive AI Growth: AI models require colossal amounts of data processing and transfer, necessitating vast networks of fibre optic cables within and between data centres.
- 5G Rollouts: Global 5G deployments demand dense fibre backbones to connect base stations, further straining supply.
- Cloud Expansion: Continuous expansion of hyperscale cloud data centres worldwide drives consistent demand for fibre.
- Geopolitical Factors: Trade restrictions, supply chain disruptions, and increased nationalistic policies in manufacturing contribute to bottlenecks.
- Raw Material Scarcity: Production of optical fibre relies on specialized silica and other components, whose supply chains can be fragile.
This global shortage poses a significant headwind for projects like the I-2SEA and America-India Connect systems, potentially impacting construction timelines and increasing costs. Project developers and governments are now tasked with navigating this constrained supply environment, seeking innovative sourcing strategies and fostering domestic manufacturing capabilities to mitigate risks.
Google’s AI Powerhouse in Visakhapatnam
Central to Google’s investment in Visakhapatnam is the development of a state-of-the-art data centre complex, strategically located to leverage the direct subsea cable landing. This facility is poised to become a cornerstone of India’s AI infrastructure.
Alexander Smith clarified the specific focus of Google’s Visakhapatnam facility, stating that it "will focus on inference, with no immediate plans for performing power-hungry training runs." This distinction is important:
- AI Training: Involves feeding massive datasets to AI models to teach them patterns and relationships. This is an extremely computationally and energy-intensive process, often requiring specialized hardware.
- AI Inference: Involves using a pre-trained AI model to make predictions or perform tasks based on new input data. This is less resource-intensive than training but still requires significant computing power and low-latency access to data.
By focusing on inference, Google aims to provide rapid, efficient AI services to domestic enterprises and government agencies. Smith noted that there has been "pretty deep AI adoption across the delivery of government services at the State levels as well as Union level." This suggests that the Visakhapatnam data centre will play a crucial role in supporting India’s digital governance initiatives, powering everything from citizen services to complex analytical tasks for various government departments.
Sustainability is a key pillar of Google’s data centre strategy. Smith highlighted the firm’s commitment to acquiring "as much renewable power for the project as possible," pointing out that Google is among the biggest buyers of renewable energy globally. Additionally, "water use minimisation was also on the agenda with air cooling technologies." This focus on environmental responsibility aligns with global trends towards greener data centres and India’s own renewable energy targets.
While the facility will serve critical domestic needs, Smith also clarified how consumer AI services like Gemini are delivered. "It’s not always a case that services will be served from the closest data centre, which from here is probably Singapore and facilities that are online today in Taiwan," he explained. This indicates a globally distributed architecture for consumer-facing AI, where services are routed based on network efficiency, capacity, and user proximity to different data centres worldwide.
Economic and Societal Implications
The establishment of Visakhapatnam as a major international digital gateway and the accompanying data centre buildout will trigger a cascade of positive economic and societal impacts across India, particularly in Andhra Pradesh.
Economic Boom:
- Job Creation: Direct employment will be generated in data centre operations, network maintenance, cybersecurity, and related technical fields. Indirect jobs will emerge in supporting industries like construction, logistics, and local services.
- Foreign Investment: The presence of global tech giants like Google and Microsoft will attract further foreign direct investment into the region, fostering a vibrant tech ecosystem.
- Boost to Local Economy: Increased economic activity will stimulate local businesses, infrastructure development, and real estate markets.
- Digital Economy Growth: Enhanced connectivity will accelerate the growth of India’s digital economy, enabling faster adoption of cloud services, e-commerce, digital payments, and innovative startups.
Societal Transformation:
- Improved Internet Access: Lower latency and higher bandwidth will translate into faster, more reliable internet for millions of Indian citizens and businesses, enhancing productivity and digital inclusion.
- Advanced Digital Services: The AI inference capabilities will power next-generation government services, healthcare solutions, educational platforms, and smart city initiatives.
- Skill Development: The demand for specialized talent will necessitate new educational programs and skill development initiatives, creating a highly skilled workforce in cutting-edge technologies.
- Global Recognition: Visakhapatnam and Andhra Pradesh will gain international recognition as a leading hub for digital infrastructure, elevating India’s stature in the global technology landscape.
Challenges and the Road Ahead
While the future looks bright, the path to fully realizing India’s digital ambitions is not without its challenges.
- Regulatory Framework: Ensuring a stable, predictable, and supportive regulatory environment for infrastructure development and data governance will be crucial.
- Land Acquisition and Clearances: The sheer scale of these projects, involving thousands of kilometres of terrestrial fibre and vast data centre campuses, requires efficient land acquisition and environmental clearances.
- Talent Pipeline: Developing a robust talent pipeline equipped with the necessary skills in network engineering, data centre operations, and AI will be critical to sustain growth.
- Cybersecurity: As India becomes more connected, the importance of robust cybersecurity measures to protect critical infrastructure and data from threats will intensify.
- Sustainability Goals: Balancing rapid expansion with ambitious sustainability goals, particularly in energy and water consumption, will be an ongoing challenge.
Nevertheless, the strategic decisions being made today, spearheaded by global tech leaders and supported by forward-thinking state governments, are laying the groundwork for a truly interconnected and digitally empowered India. The eastern coast, with Visakhapatnam at its heart, is not just becoming a new landing point for subsea cables; it is emerging as a cornerstone of India’s digital sovereignty and its pivotal role in the global information superhighway. The vision of making India "one of the most connected places in the world" is rapidly materializing, promising a future of unprecedented digital growth and innovation.
