Google is developing several new subsea cables in India.

The search and cloud firm this week announced America-India Connect, a new infrastructure initiative to connect India to Africa, Australia, and Southeast Asia via new subsea cables.

In collaboration with local partners, America-India Connect will establish a new international subsea gateway in Visakhapatnam (Vizag); three new subsea paths connecting India to Singapore, South Africa, and Australia; and four strategic fiber-optic routes that bolster network resilience and capacity between the US, India, and multiple locations across the Southern Hemisphere.

“These routes do more than move bits and bytes – they honor a long history of global connection by turning maritime merchant shipping routes between the “New World” and India into digital trade routes between two countries, bringing their economies closer together,” Google said.

Google is developing a direct fiber path between Vizag and Chennai on India’s east coast to South Africa.

Though details haven’t been shared, the accompanying picture suggest the cable will land on South Africa’s west coast near Melkbosstrand, where Google’s Equiano cable lands in a Telkom South Africa landing station.

The company is also delivering a direct path between Vizag and Singapore. Landing points have not been shared, but Google’s announcement suggests it will connect with its Bosun system, which lands in Christmas Island.

Google is developing a large-scale campus in Vizag (officially Visakhapatnam) in partnership with AdaniConneX, but this would be the first cable to land in the Andhra Pradesh city.

“These investments will establish Vizag as a major international subsea gateway, adding vital diversity from existing landings in Mumbai and Chennai. For a nation of more than 1 billion people, this will increase the resilience of India’s digital backbone and improve economic security,” Google said.

Google is also constructing a direct fiber path between Mumbai and Western Australia. This would be the first system to connect India and Australia.

Google’s accompanying map suggests the Australian portion will land around Perth. The company’s TalayLink system is sent to land south of Perth in Mandurah.

Google Cloud already operates cloud regions in India, including one in Mumbai, launched back in 2017, and another in Delhi in 2021. Google’s Raman cable, due live this year, is set to land in Mumbai, connecting India to Oman, Jordan, Djibouti, and Saudi Arabia.

Only one cable currently directly connects South Africa to India: the SAFE system from 2002. Meta’s massive Waterworth system is due to follow a similar route, though full details haven’t been shared.

Chennai and Singapore are connected by several subsea cables, including the i2icn, IAX, MIST, and SeaMeWe-4 and-5 systems.

Local operator Sify last year broke ground on a cable landing station in Vizag, but it's unclear if it will serve Google’s planned cable.

Google has invested in some 30 subsea cables in the past 15 years, more than any other hypescaler, both privately and part of multi-party consortia. Its subsea projects criss-cross the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian Oceans, with many landing on small island nations that have historically lacked major cable investment.

The news is the latest in a series of cables Google has announced in recent years, many of which are focused on Asia and Oceania. The company’s planned systems in the region include the Australia Connect Interlink, Dhivaru, Honomoana, Tabua, Humboldt, Bulikula, Taihei, Proa, Echo, Dhivaru, and Umoja cables.

Google is developing multiple cable landing stations across the region as part of its cable build-out.