Google is planning to build a large artificial intelligence data centre on Australia’s remote Indian Ocean outpost of Christmas Island after signing a cloud deal with the Department of Defence earlier this year, according to documents and interviews with officials, with military experts saying such a facility would be a valuable asset on the island, increasingly seen as a critical frontline.
The tiny island, located 350 kilometres south of Indonesia, is increasingly viewed by defence officials as crucial for monitoring Chinese submarines and other naval activity in the Indian Ocean, reports Reuters.
Google is in advanced talks to lease land near the island’s airport to construct the data hub, including a deal with a local mining company to secure its energy needs, Christmas Island Shire officials said. Many details, including its projected size, cost and potential uses, remain secret.
A recent tabletop war game involving the Australian, U.S. and Japanese militaries highlighted Christmas Island’s role as a forward line of defence for Australia in any regional conflict, particularly its advantages for launching uncrewed weapons systems.
Bryan Clark, a former U.S. Navy strategist who ran the war games, said having a forward “command and control” node on Christmas Island would be critical in a crisis with China or another adversary.
Uncrewed systems and surveillance
“The data centre is partly to allow you to do the kinds of AI-enabled command and control that you need to do in the future, especially if you rely on uncrewed systems for surveillance missions and targeting missions and even engagements,” Clark, now a Hudson Institute fellow, told Reuters.
Subsea cables provide more bandwidth for communication than a satellite, and greater reliability, because China would be expected to jam satellite communications or Starlink in a crisis, he said.
Australia’s defence department entered into a three-year cloud agreement with Google in July. Britain’s military recently announced a similar Google cloud deal, which it said will boost intelligence sharing with the United States.
Google applied last month for Australian environmental approvals to build the first subsea cable connecting Christmas Island to the northern Australian city of Darwin, where the U.S. Marine Corps are based for six months of the year.
Christmas Island Shire President Steve Pereira said his administration is examining the community impact of the proposed data centre before giving final construction approval. The 135 square kilometre island, best known for its asylum seeker detention centre and annual migration of millions of red crabs, has until recently struggled with poor telecommunications and its 1,600 residents lack job opportunities.
“There is support for it, providing this data centre actually does put back into the community with infrastructure, employment and adding economic value to the island,” he said.
Alphabet Inc-owned Google declined to comment for the story, reported Reuters, and Australia’s Department of Defence had no comment.
