Prelims: Current events of national and international importance| Economy
Why in News?
Andhra Pradesh, particularly Visakhapatnam, is emerging as a new international subsea cable gateway due to rapid data-centre and AI infrastructure development.
- Vishakhapatnam is expected to become India’s third major subsea connectivity hub, after Mumbai and Chennai.
- Subsea hub – It is a seabed facility used in offshore energy or telecommunications to distribute power, collect data, or manage fiber-optic network routing.
- These systems reduce reliance on surface platforms by placing heavy equipment directly on ocean floor.
- I-2SEA Submarine Cable System – 3,600-km cable connecting Southeast Asia with India’s east coast
- Companies involved – Microsoft, Lightstorm, Singtel and other consortium partners
- Landing locations – Visakhapatnam and Chennai
- Expected service – Q4, 2029
- America-India Connect – Google’s global subsea cable system at Visakhapatnam
Visakhapatnam locational advantages
- Strategic diversification – Reduces excessive dependence on existing Mumbai and Chennai cable gateways.
- Geopolitical resilience – Provides an alternative route in case of disruptions in West Asia or other vulnerable routes.
- Ageing infrastructure – Several existing east-coast cables are 8–15 years old, with capacity and end-of-life concerns.
- Data-centre ecosystem – Andhra Pradesh and Telangana are attracting large investments in data centres and AI infrastructure.
- International connectivity – Direct links with Singapore, Malaysia, Australia, Middle East and Europe.
Terrestrial connectivity
- Subsea cables need extensive terrestrial fibre networks after reaching the shore.
- Proposed corridors could connect Machilipatnam–Mumbai–Hyderabad and Chennai–Hyderabad–Mumbai.
- Rapid global AI expansion is creating shortages of optical fibre, raw materials and fibre components.
Google’s Visakhapatnam Data Centre
- Primarily intended for AI inference, rather than energy-intensive AI training initially.
- Google plans greater use of renewable energy.
- Focus on serving Indian enterprises and government agencies.
- Air-cooling technologies are being considered to minimise water consumption.
Reference
The Hindu| 3rd subsea hub in Andhra Pradesh
