Govt will support initiative to make Andaman next major hub for global internet data

New Delhi, Oct 14 (IANS) Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said on Tuesday that we can make Andaman the next major hub for global internet data and the government will provide full support for the initiative.

The minister emphasised the importance of undersea subsea cable connectivity.

“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 said while addressing ‘Bharat AI Shakti’, an event hosted by Google ahead of its participation in the upcoming ‘India AI Summit’.

“The Andaman Islands can help Google and other internet-based organisations connect to Southeast Asia, Australia, and other regions that are seeking new data capacity,” he mentioned.

Vaishnaw also proposed establishing a Vizag-Sittwe (Myanmar) link to strengthen digital connectivity in the northeastern states, highlighting the need to enhance the existing RailTel network.

He noted that extending the cable via Myanmar to Mizoram would be a major step forward, as the railway line up to Sairang is already complete and work is underway to extend it to the Myanmar border as directed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Vaishnaw highlighted AI services as a key emerging sector in India’s digital economy, urging Google to leverage the facility for talent and job creation.

He welcomed Google’s TPUs (Tensor Processing Unit) to compete with Nvidia’s GPUs (Graphics Processing Unit) as part of the common compute infrastructure under the India AI Mission.

The minister also highlighted that the AI Hub would significantly advance the goals of the India AI Mission, emphasizing the need for large-scale reskilling and upskilling of IT professionals amid rapid AI-driven changes. He urged Google to support the industry in this effort.

Google has announced the establishment of an Artificial Intelligence (AI) Hub in Visakhapatnam (Vizag), Andhra Pradesh, enabling the company to deploy its full AI stack with the aim of accelerating AI-driven transformation across India.

This investment of approximately $15 billion over five years (2026–2030) marks Google’s largest investment in India to date and aligns with the Government of India’s Viksit Bharat Vision, which seeks to accelerate the expansion of AI-driven services.

--IANS

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