Tarun Karthick
Sri Vijaya Puram, 16 October 2025
Union Minister for Electronics and Information Technology, Mr. Ashwini Vaishnaw, has unveiled an ambitious vision to transform the Andaman and Nicobar Islands into a global internet data transfer hub — a strategic initiative that could redefine India’s role in global digital connectivity.
The minister shared this proposal during the Bharat AI Shakti event hosted by Google ahead of the India AI Summit, describing the islands as a natural choice for becoming the next major global data junction. Citing their geographic advantage in the Indian Ocean, Vaishnaw remarked, “The Andaman and Nicobar Islands are strategically located. Singapore is already overburdened. Why can’t we make Andaman the next major hub for global internet data transfer? From the Government of India’s perspective, we will provide full support for this initiative.”
He explained that the islands could help global technology players such as Google and other internet-based organisations reach Southeast Asia, Australia, and other regions that are seeking new digital capacity. The minister also spoke about extending undersea cable infrastructure from the islands toward Myanmar, and linking it further to India’s northeastern states through a Vizag–Sittwe–Mizoram network. This, he said, would improve both India’s internal digital backbone and its external links with neighbouring regions.
The announcement coincides with Google’s recent plan to invest USD 15 billion in an artificial intelligence hub at Visakhapatnam, which includes a gigawatt-scale data centre and new subsea cables developed in collaboration with Adani Group and Bharti Airtel. Together, these initiatives underline India’s growing emphasis on building digital infrastructure capable of serving global markets.
What is a ‘Global Internet Data Hub’?
A global internet data hub serves as a convergence point for multiple undersea and terrestrial fibre-optic cables that carry vast amounts of internet traffic between continents. These hubs host cable landing stations, internet exchange points, and large-scale data centres, enabling faster, more reliable cloud services, streaming, and digital transactions.
At present, major hubs such as Singapore, Amsterdam, Frankfurt, London, Marseille, Hong Kong, Miami, and Tokyo act as the world’s digital junctions. However, many of these centres are facing saturation. In Singapore, land and energy limitations have constrained new data centre development, and stricter environmental norms have slowed expansion. The result is a growing global need for alternative nodes that can handle rising data traffic and reduce dependency on a few overburdened locations.
Why the Andaman Islands Make Strategic Sense?
The Andaman and Nicobar Islands, positioned at the crossroads of some of the busiest maritime and communication routes on Earth, are uniquely suited to serve as an intercontinental link between South Asia, Southeast Asia, and Australia. By establishing a major data hub here, India could not only relieve some of the data load currently handled by Singapore but also provide faster, more secure routes for global internet connectivity across the Indo-Pacific.
Experts believe such a development would enhance digital redundancy and resilience, offering a secure India-led alternative in case of cyber threats, geopolitical disruptions, or environmental events that affect existing hubs. The proposal also complements India’s ‘Act East’ and ‘Digital India’ policies by envisioning new connectivity routes through Myanmar to the northeastern states, thus integrating remote regions into global networks.
Beyond the strategic benefits, the initiative holds promise for the local economy. Developing the islands as a data hub could attract investment in sustainable data centres, IT services, and marine infrastructure, creating skilled jobs and stimulating long-term economic activity centred around digital connectivity.
Challenges and the Road Ahead
While the concept is both visionary and feasible, realising it will require meticulous planning and substantial investment. To build such a hub, India would have to depend on international collaboration, private-sector participation, and the establishment of multiple new undersea cable routes.
Reliable power generation will be another crucial factor. Given the islands’ limited grid capacity, the development of renewable energy sources will be essential to support data centres and communication infrastructure sustainably. At the same time, the fragile marine and coastal ecosystem of the islands demands careful environmental planning to prevent ecological harm.
Equally important will be the creation of a policy framework governing data centre zoning, cable landing permissions, and global leasing models for bandwidth. Such regulatory clarity will be vital in attracting global players while safeguarding national interests.
A Digital Gateway to the Indo-Pacific
If implemented effectively, Ashwini Vaishnaw’s proposal could transform the Andaman and Nicobar Islands into a digital gateway for the Indo-Pacific, placing India at the centre of global data flows. It would relieve congestion in existing hubs, enhance security and connectivity across Asia, and usher in a new era of economic and technological opportunity for the island territory.
For India, the project represents more than just infrastructure — it is a statement of digital sovereignty and strategic foresight. And for the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, it could mark the beginning of their transformation from a remote archipelago to one of the world’s most significant crossroads of the global internet.
