Subsea Cable Hub
Prelims:
Geography,
Science & Technology
Mains:
GS Paper III:
Science & Technology, Infrastructure
Current relevance:
Andhra
Pradesh is emerging as India’s
third major international subsea cable gateway after Mumbai and Chennai,
driven by new data-centre and digital infrastructure investments.
Highlights:
Andhra Pradesh as a New
Subsea Cable Hub:
1.
India's
international subsea cable infrastructure is currently concentrated largely in Mumbai
and Chennai.
2.
Andhra
Pradesh is set to emerge as a third international subsea gateway, with
new landing stations around Visakhapatnam.
3.
India-Southeast
Asia (I-2SEA) Submarine Cable System is a 3,600-km cable system involving
Microsoft in a consortium with firms including Lightstorm and Singapore-based
Singtel.
4.
I-2SEA
will connect Singapore and Malaysia with India's east coast and also
connect to Chennai.
5.
The
system is expected to be ready for service in Q4 2029.
6.
Google's
America-India Connect system is also expected to land at Visakhapatnam,
where its data-centre complex is being developed.
Terrestrial Digital
Infrastructure:
1.
Subsea
cable landing stations require extensive terrestrial fibre networks to
carry international data traffic to inland economic and digital centres.
2.
Thousands
of kilometres of new fibre infrastructure are expected to connect the new cable
systems with India's major metropolitan and data-centre hubs.
3.
Lightstorm
is considering a terrestrial corridor linking Machilipatnam with Hyderabad
and Mumbai, alongside connectivity between Chennai, Hyderabad and Mumbai.
4.
Such
infrastructure can create an additional layer of high-capacity digital
connectivity between major Indian cities.
5.
Integration
of subsea cables, terrestrial fibre networks and data centres is
essential for translating international connectivity into a wider pan-India
digital ecosystem.
6.
However,
expansion faces supply-side challenges due to the global shortage of optical
fibre, its components and raw-material inputs.
Data Centres, AI &
Sustainability:
1.
Google's
proposed Visakhapatnam data-centre facility is expected to focus
primarily on AI inference rather than power-intensive AI training.
2.
The
facility is intended to support domestic enterprises and government agencies,
amid growing AI adoption in government-service delivery.
3.
Integration
of data centres with high-capacity international subsea cables can
strengthen the infrastructure required for India's expanding AI and
digital-service ecosystem.
4.
Development
of such infrastructure in Andhra Pradesh can help diversify India's digital
infrastructure beyond established metropolitan hubs.
5.
Google
intends to acquire as much renewable power as possible for the project,
linking data-centre expansion with cleaner energy use.
6.
The
use of air-cooling technologies to minimise water consumption also
highlights efforts to reduce the resource footprint of data-centre
infrastructure.
Strategic & Digital
Connectivity Significance:
1.
The
new subsea cable infrastructure will provide direct connectivity between
India and Southeast Asia, including major digital markets such as Singapore
and Malaysia.
2.
These
networks can further extend India's connectivity towards Australia, the
Middle East, Europe and other global markets.
3.
Several
existing submarine cables serving India's east coast are relatively old,
nearing capacity or approaching the end of their operational life,
increasing the need for new infrastructure.
4.
A
new east-coast connectivity corridor can provide alternative routes during
disruptions, strengthening the resilience of India's international internet
connectivity.
5.
Diversifying
cable routes and landing stations can contribute to geopolitical de-risking
by reducing dependence on vulnerable connectivity corridors.
6.
The
emergence of additional landing locations can reduce the concentration of
critical digital infrastructure in Mumbai and Chennai.
7.
Stronger
direct links with Southeast Asia can enhance India's integration with regional
and global digital networks.
Source: THE
HINDU - https://www.pressreader.com/foryou?popupArticleId=282071988757810