Revolutionizing Global Connectivity Through Infrastructure Development
There are exciting new plans in motion to revolutionize the world of digital technology. The focus is to ensure equal access to advancements in Artificial Intelligence (AI). To achieve this objective, significant investments are being made in digital infrastructure projects and skill development programs. These efforts are to increase global connectivity, stimulate economic growth, and enhance resilience not just in India, but worldwide.
Global Infrastructure Initiative
The central aim of these plans is to prevent a divide in access to AI due to gaps in digital connectivity. A new collaborative infrastructure project is being launched, backed by a robust five-year investment in AI infrastructure in India. This initiative aims to enhance the reach, consistency, and resilience of digital connectivity across four global continents.
In partnership with local entities, the project, named the America-India Connect, plans to establish a new international subsea gateway in Visakhapatnam (Vizag), India. Other components of the project include three new subsea paths linking India with Singapore, South Africa, and Australia, and four strategic fiber-optic routes to strengthen network resilience and capacity across the United States, India, and various locations in the Southern Hemisphere.
Strengthening India's East Coast Connection
The initiative involves the development of a direct fiber-optic path between Vizag and Chennai, located on India's east coast, extending to South Africa. This route, along with the Equiano and Nuvem subsea cable systems, will establish a high-capacity and redundant route linking the American east coast around Africa to Vizag.
Additionally, the plan includes creating a direct path between Vizag and Singapore. This route, coupled with the Bosun and Tabua subsea cable systems, will form a South Pacific route connecting the American west coast through Australia to Vizag.
These investments will transform Vizag into a significant international subsea gateway, providing much-needed diversity from the existing landings in Mumbai and Chennai. For a country with a population of over 1 billion, this will strengthen the resilience of India's digital backbone and boost economic security.
Boosting India's West Coast Connection
The initiative also includes the construction of a direct fiber-optic path between Mumbai and Western Australia. Together with the TalayLink and Honomoana subsea cable systems, this will establish a South Pacific route connecting the American west coast around Australia to Mumbai.
This new route will complement the Blue, Raman, and Sol subsea cables, which together form a data corridor from the American east coast through the Red Sea to Mumbai.
Addressing the AI Divide
Reliable infrastructure is a key solution to the digital divide. It's widely acknowledged that enhanced connectivity via subsea cables leads to improved internet affordability and reliability, pushing productivity and fostering long-term economic growth. With better access to digital services, people can acquire new skills, and businesses and public sector organizations can offer better services to their communities, helping to prevent the AI divide from taking root.
These new routes signify more than just data transfer—they symbolize a rich history of global connection. By transforming maritime merchant shipping routes between the "New World" and India into digital trade routes, the economies of these countries are brought closer together.
The America-India Connect initiative expands on our work with numerous regional partners to promote AI access in Africa, Australia, and the Pacific. We anticipate collaborating closely with these partners to reinforce global connectivity and extend the benefits of AI to all.
Maximizing the Benefits of AI Transformation
While infrastructure is crucial for technology access, fully realizing the benefits of AI also requires investment in the people who use it. Therefore, collaborative efforts with governments are underway to equip people with the digital skills they need to leverage new opportunities.
Partnerships are being established to accelerate the vision of building a future-ready civil service through AI-enabled digital capabilities. As the primary cloud partner, secure and resilient infrastructure is being provided for the Integrated Government Online Training (iGOT) Karmayogi platform. This scalable infrastructure supports over 20 million public servants across 800+ districts, providing reliable access to learning services at scale.
Furthermore, AI will improve the access, discoverability, and effectiveness of learning on the iGOT platform. By digitizing and structuring legacy training repositories into searchable knowledge assets and progressively enabling content in 18+ Indian languages, the partnership will help advance professional development and empower officials to learn in their preferred language.
Our commitment remains steadfast to collaborate with communities, businesses, and governments to foster AI innovation for all, and we are eager to support the next generation of global connection.